Scientists have discovered that a 'rare' type of marine bacteria is much more widespread than previously thought - and possesses a remarkable metabolism that could contribute to greenhouse gas production.
Scientists have discovered that a 'rare' type of marine bacteria is much more widespread than previously thought - and possesses a remarkable metabolism that could contribute to greenhouse gas production.
In a study published today [Wednesday, 1 November] in the journal Science Advances, an international team of scientists from the University of Southampton, the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, in Germany, and other European universities show that the previously little-studied Nitrococcus bacterium is found in oceans worldwide, and has the astonishing ability to live without oxygen by reversing its metabolism.
The usual biological 'function' of Nitrococcus - and a handful of other similar bacteria - is to replenish nitrate (NO3-) in the ocean through the oxidation of nitrite (NO2-) - while at the same time converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into building blocks for their cellular structures.
The availability of the nutrient nitrogen often limits growths of algae and other plant-like organisms in global surface ocean, where they harvest light energy to 'fix' CO2 into their own body mass. Nitrogen is essential for all life on Earth as it is needed for the making of proteins and nucleic acids, and its most abundant and stable form is nitrate. Therefore, the availability of nitrate is directly linked to the ocean's ability to capture and store the greenhouse gas CO2.
Continue reading at University of Southampton
