Southern Ocean sampling reveals travels of marine microbes
Wednesday, September 18, 2013 - 11:00
in Biology & Nature
By collecting water samples up to six kilometers below the surface of the Southern Ocean, researchers have shown for the first time the impact of ocean currents on the distribution and abundance of marine micro-organisms. Twenty-five samples were collected across a 3,000 kilometer stretch of ocean and genetic sequencing of the microbial DNA in each sample was carried out. The research shows that microbial communities that are connected by ocean currents are more similar to each other.