A real global player: Previously unrecognised bacteria as a key group in marine sediments
Tuesday, February 18, 2020 - 12:07
in Earth & Climate
Marine sediments cover more than two thirds of our planet's surface. Nevertheless, they are scarcely explored, especially in the deeper regions of the oceans. For their nutrition, the bacteria in the deep ocean are almost entirely dependent on remnants of organisms that trickle down from the upper water layers. Depending on how they process this material, it either remains in the depths of the ocean for a long time or moves back to the surface as carbon dioxide. Thus, sea-floor bacteria play an important role in the global carbon cycle, which makes them an exciting and important research object.