Table 4.
Core associations within and between taxonomic domains and size fractions
| Network | Association typea | # Associations |
|---|---|---|
| Core network | Total | 1411 |
| Bacteria–Bacteria | 767 (54%) | |
| Bacteria–Protist | 433 (31%) | |
| Protist–Protist | 161 (11%) | |
| Environmental factor–Bacteria | 36 (3%) | |
| Environmental factor–Protist | 14 (1%) | |
| Picoplankton subnetwork | Total | 378 |
| Bacteria–Bacteria | 241 (64%) | |
| Bacteria–Protist | 94 (25%) | |
| Protist–Protist | 31 (8%) | |
| Environmental factor–Bacteria | 12 (3% | |
| Environmental factor–Protist | 0 (0%) | |
| Nanoplankton subnetwork | Total | 791 |
| Bacteria–Bacteria | 394 (50%) | |
| Bacteria–Protist | 246 (31%) | |
| Protist–Protist | 113 (14%) | |
| Environmental factor–Bacteria | 24 (3%) | |
| Environmental factor–Protist | 14 (2%) |
a “Bacteria–Bacteria” indicates associations between two bacterial OTUs. “Protist–Protist” are associations between two unicellular eukaryotes and “Bacteria–Protist” are associations between one eukaryote and one bacterial OTU. “Environmental factor–Protist” and “Environmental factor–Bacteria” are associations between an environmental factor and a eukaryotic or bacterial OTU