Recent advances and future perspectives in microbial phototrophy in antarctic sea ice.
Bacteria that utilize sunlight to supplement metabolic activity are now being described in a range of ecosystems. While it is likely that phototrophy provides an important competitive advantage, the contribution that these microorganisms make to the bioenergetics of polar marine ecosystems is unknown. In this minireview, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of phototrophic bacteria and highlight the need for future research.
School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand. mickye@nus.edu.sg.
Eileen Y
EY
Koh
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia. andrew.martin@utas.edu.au.
Andrew R
AR
Martin
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart 7001, Australia. andrew.mcminn@utas.edu.au.
Andrew
A
McMinn
School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand. ken.ryan@vuw.ac.nz.
Ken G
KG
Ryan