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Malfatti F, Azam F
Atomic force microscopy reveals microscale networks and possible symbioses among pelagic marine bacteria
Malfatti and Azam discovered unexpected and intimate relationships and possible symbioses among marine microbes that have major consequences in ocean carbon cycling and climate. Using an atomic force microscope they found that a substantial proportion of bacteria previously considered free-living express elaborate surface architectures at the nanometer to micrometer scale that connect them with other bacteria to form highly abundant microscale networks. Remarkably, a substantial fraction of bacteria (including an important primary producer, Synechococcus) were intimately conjoint, possibly symbionts. These findings may change how we think about the ecology of pelagic bacteria and their biogeochemical role. Climate change and ocean acidification could alter the microspatial architecture and bacterial interactions, with feedback to the ocean carbon cycle. Studying the microscale architecture in concert with biochemical and genomic data could provide fundamental insights into mechanism of carbon flow and may contribute towards the development of microbial biogeochemistry as a microspatial structural problem.
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