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Molecular diversity and ecology of microbial plankton

Nature volume 437, pages 343–348 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

The history of microbial evolution in the oceans is probably as old as the history of life itself. In contrast to terrestrial ecosystems, microorganisms are the main form of biomass in the oceans, and form some of the largest populations on the planet. Theory predicts that selection should act more efficiently in large populations. But whether microbial plankton populations harbour organisms that are models of adaptive sophistication remains to be seen. Genome sequence data are piling up, but most of the key microbial plankton clades have no cultivated representatives, and information about their ecological activities is sparse.

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Figure 1: Schematic illustration of the phylogeny of the major plankton clades.
Figure 2: 16S rRNA genes from the Sargasso Sea metagenome data set, organized by clades.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a research grant from the NSF Microbial Observatories Program and a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

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  1. Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, 97331, Oregon, USA

    Stephen J. Giovannoni & Ulrich Stingl

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Giovannoni, S., Stingl, U. Molecular diversity and ecology of microbial plankton. Nature 437, 343–348 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04158

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