Microbial life in the open ocean: a universe of tiny cells separated by empty space

Zehr, JP, Weitz, JS and Joint, IR 2017 Microbial life in the open ocean: a universe of tiny cells separated by empty space. Science, 357 (6352). 646-647. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aan5764

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aan5764

Abstract/Summary

Marine microbes are fundamental components of food webs and the biogeochemical cycles that maintain the habitability of the planet. In the oligotrophic open ocean, these microscopic organisms live in a dilute environment separated from other cells by large distances at the microscale while surrounded by very few essential nutrient molecules. For ubiquitous submicron sized and non-motile microbes, cellular growth requirements for hundreds of millions (or more) of nutrient molecules are sustained predominantly by rapid molecular diffusion. Characterizing the interactions of cells and molecules in the “empty space” of the ocean remains central to understanding the drivers and consequences of oceanic biogeochemical cycles.

Item Type: Publication - Article
Divisions: Marine Biological Association of the UK > Other (MBA)
Depositing User: Barbara Bultmann
Date made live: 18 Sep 2017 14:28
Last Modified: 25 Apr 2020 09:58
URI: https://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/7506

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