Fig. 4.

An idealized phago-mixotrophy focused research cruise: experiments and observations that use multiple tools and techniques for understanding phago-mixotrophy in situ. Coordinated efforts among researchers with varied expertise to combine classical methods (that quantify photosynthesis, prey ingestion and environmental parameters) alongside emerging methods can help (i) validate new methods, (ii) build consensus across the community on the appropriate approaches and (iii) target open questions about the evolution, traits and trade-offs, biogeography, and biogeochemistry of mixoplankton that can help inform and validate models. The image depicts typical shipboard equipment (1–4) and several methods listed in Table II (5–13), all of which can be used to study mixoplankton and phago-mixotrophy in some way. Illustration by Lee Ann Deleo (Skidaway) and Ashley Maloney.