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Marine microbiology

Mixotrophy in depth

Prochlorococcus is the most abundant photosynthetic organism in the ocean, but single-cell measurements and model simulations reveal that this organism might obtain only 20% of the carbon required for growth from photosynthesis in the deep water column.

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Fig. 1: In the ocean, the abundant cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus relies on mixotrophy to survive.

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Correspondence to María del Carmen Muñoz-Marín.

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Muñoz-Marín, M.d.C. Mixotrophy in depth. Nat Microbiol 7, 1949–1950 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-022-01251-4

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