The types of ocean bacteria known to absorb carbon dioxide from the air require more energy – in the form of carbon – and other resources when they’re simultaneously infected by viruses and face attack from nearby predators, new research has found.
Tag: Protists
Study Examines the Role of Deep-Sea Microbial Predators at Hydrothermal Vents
The hydrothermal vent fluids from the Gorda Ridge spreading center in the northeast Pacific Ocean create a biological hub of activity in the deep sea. There, in the dark ocean, a unique food web thrives not on photosynthesis but rather on chemical energy from the venting fluids. Among the creatures having a field day feasting at the Gorda Ridge vents is a diverse assortment of microbial eukaryotes, or protists, that graze on chemosynthetic bacteria and archaea.
We’ve Got the Dirt on Soil Protists
The diverse collection of microbes known as protists are understudied, but their impact on ecosystems and agriculture could be huge.