Carbon Spheres: First Ocean Vesicles Spotted, In Marine Cyanobacteria

Marine cyanobacteria are tiny ocean plants that produce oxygen and make organic carbon using sunlight and CO2, and so they are primary engines of Earth's biogeochemical and nutrient cycles.  They nourish other organisms through the provision of oxygen and with their own body mass, which forms the base of the ocean food chain. Researchers have discovered a new benefit of these tiny cells: Cyanobacteria continually produce and release vesicles, spherical packages containing carbon and other nutrients that can serve as food parcels for marine organisms. The vesicles also contain DNA, likely providing a means of gene transfer within and among communities of similar bacteria, and they may even act as decoys for deflecting viruses. read more

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