Title	Significance of microscale interactions in bacterial ecology and carbon biogeochemistry in the ocean
Author	Malfatti, F.
Source	167p. Availability: Univ. Microfilms, Ann Arbor, MI, United States. ISBN: 978-1-109- 15401-6
Publication Date	2009
Notes	In English. Ph.D. thesis. GeoRef Acc. No: 299733
Index Terms	Antarctica; Drake Passage; Southern Ocean; atomic force microscopy; bacteria; biochemistry; carbon; carbon cycle; climate change; ecology; geochemical cycle; marine environment; nitrogen; nitrogen cycle; pelagic environment; phosphorus cycle; phytoplankton; plankton; productivity; seasonal variations
Abstract	Marine bacteria are important players in regulating the pelagic ecosystem structure and functioning and in biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and other bio- elements in the ocean. Although a major role of bacteria in ecosystem function and carbon cycle is well established, we still know little about the underlying in situ mechanisms. A fundamental problem concerns the mature and the strength of coupling between bacteria and organic matter. Individual bacteria in sea water must exert their actions on organic matter - mostly polymeric and particulate - at the microscale, e.g. with cell-surface associated bydrolytic enzymes, to create hotspots of growth substrates. Microscale microbial ecology in the pelagic ocean is currently little explored. Field studies during the summer and winter in the Southern Ocean indicated that the degree of coupling between phytoplankton production and bacteria carbon demand is critically important for ecosystem functioning during the long austral winter when primary production is negligible. We discovered that in the austral winter, in the Drake Passage, a significant amount of dissolved organic carbon produced during the summer supports an active microbial loop with important consequences for ecosystem functioning, carbon cycling and climate. (mod. auth. abst)
Publication Type	monograph
Record ID	88329