title: Contribution of aerobic photoheterotrophic bacteria to the carbon cycle in the ocean.
abstract: The vertical distribution of bacteriochlorophyll a, the numbers of infrared fluorescent cells, and the variable fluorescence signal at 880 nanometers wavelength, all indicate that photosynthetically competent anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria are abundant in the upper open ocean and comprise at least 11% of the total microbial community. These organisms are facultative photoheterotrophs, metabolizing organic carbon when available, but are capable of photosynthetic light utilization when organic carbon is scarce. They are globally distributed in the euphotic zone and represent a hitherto unrecognized component of the marine microbial community that appears to be critical to the cycling of both organic and inorganic carbon in the ocean.
authors: Environmental Biophysics and Molecular Ecology Program, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, 71 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8521, USA. zkolber@imcs.rutgers.edu
authors: Z S
authors: ZS
authors: Kolber
authors: F G
authors: FG
authors: Plumley
authors: A S
authors: AS
authors: Lang
authors: J T
authors: JT
authors: Beatty
authors: R E
authors: RE
authors: Blankenship
authors: C L
authors: CL
authors: VanDover
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Vetriani
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Koblizek
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Rathgeber
authors: P G
authors: PG
authors: Falkowski
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D020561:Alphaproteobacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D001267:Atlantic Ocean; D001429:Bacteriochlorophylls / Q000032:analysis; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003470:Culture Media; D017753:Ecosystem; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D010788:Photosynthesis; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D001429:Bacteriochlorophylls; D003470:Culture Media; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002244:Carbon