Research
Tiny ocean animals reveal a hidden foundation of marine life
Earth.com · By Sanjana Gajbhiye ·
The Brief
- Researchers found that roughly half of the food supporting Calanus copepods in the warm, nutrient-poor tropical Pacific could be traced back to bacteria.
- Microscopic algae are commonly described as the base of many ocean food chains, and this work points to a major bacterial role alongside them.
Why it matters
The findings suggest bacteria can be a substantial link in ocean food webs, not only algae, which matters for science readers who model marine ecosystems or energy flow in the ocean.
Who’s affected
- marine biologists and oceanographers
- researchers who model ocean food webs
- #marine biology
- #plankton
- #food webs
- #bacteria
- #tropical pacific
Microscopic algae form the base of many ocean food chains, but bacteria also play a major role. In the warm, nutrient-poor tropical Pacific, researchers found that roughly half of the food supporting tiny crustaceans called Calanus copepods could be traced back to bacteria. Near…