Structure/function/activity relationships in marine snow. Current understanding and suggested research thrusts

Marine snow and marine snow components contribute to the mucilage phenomenon in the northern Adriatic Sea. Of special relevance is the matrix material, composed of extracellular polymeric substances, which are packaged into fibrils of colloidal dimensions. These 0.005 micron diameter fibrils are physical units of mucilage which can be visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). They form polymer bridges between the various biotic and mineral components of marine snow, creating three-dimensional networks which affect floc porosity, density and settling behaviour. Recent observations of the matrix by TEM reveal complex fibril-delimited channels and capillary systems which partially traverse marine snow flocs and which are postulated to play roles in anomalous settling. Considering the marine snow floc as a microecosystem, the relationships between ultrastructure, chemistry and environmental properties are being explored. On the assumption that colloidal matrix materials, including those released into the bulk water, might provide advance information on anomalous floc behaviour, two new methods are recommended for monitoring the northern Adriatic Sea. One is a technique for chemical quantification of colloidal organic carbon. The other uses TEM, applied to water fractions derived from cascade ultracentrifugation, to estimate fibril quantities as a proportion of colloidal organic carbon.