Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026
22:38
Chemotactic Response of Marine Micro-Organisms to Micro-Scale Nutrient Layers
Published on: May 28, 2007
Resource patch formation and exploitation throughout the marine microbial food web
J R Seymour1, Marcos, R Stocker
1Ralph M. Parsons Laboratory, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. justins@mit.edu.
The American Naturalist
|December 5, 2008
Summary
Marine microbes rapidly exploit microscale resource patches using distinct swimming strategies. This behavior influences oceanic food webs and nutrient cycling, accelerating carbon flux through the microbial loop.
Area of Science:
- Marine microbial ecology
- Oceanography
- Biogeochemical cycles
Background:
- Microbial microorganisms exploit microscale resource patches, influencing oceanic trophodynamics and nutrient cycling.
- Methodological limitations have previously hindered the study of microbial behavior in patchy microhabitats.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a microfluidic device for generating microscale resource patches at environmentally realistic scales.
- To examine the exploitation of these patches by marine microorganisms across different trophic levels.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a microfluidic device to create microscale resource patches.
- Quantified population-level chemotactic responses and single-cell swimming behaviors.
- Studied a phytoplankton (Dunaliella tertiolecta), a heterotrophic bacterium (Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis), and a phagotrophic protist (Neobodo designis).
Main Results:
- Dunaliella tertiolecta rapidly accumulated in ammonium patches.
- Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis showed chemotaxis to phytoplankton exudates.
- Neobodo designis altered swimming behavior in response to bacterial prey patches.
- All studied organisms efficiently exploited resource patches using varied swimming strategies.
Conclusions:
- Microscale nutrient patchiness can drive sequential patch formation of phytoplankton, bacteria, and protozoa in the ocean.
- Efficient patch exploitation by microbes can accelerate carbon flux via the microbial loop.
- This study provides insights into microbial foraging and its ecological implications in marine environments.
More Related Videos
10:43Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology
Published on: November 5, 2014
08:09An Aquatic Microbial Metaproteomics Workflow: From Cells to Tryptic Peptides Suitable for Tandem Mass Spectrometry-based Analysis
Published on: September 15, 2015
Related Concept Videos
01:30Marine Microbial Ecology
Marine microbial ecosystems are shaped by distinct physicochemical limits, including high salinity, low nutrient availability, and fluctuating oxygen levels. These conditions favor smaller microbial cell sizes, which maximize their surface-to-volume ratio for efficient nutrient uptake.Microbial activity and community composition are closely linked to biogeochemical cycles, particularly in dynamic environments like estuaries, where halotolerant microbes thrive in response to variable salinity...
01:25Microbial Mats
Microbial communities forming biofilms and mats represent complex, spatially structured ecosystems where metabolic processes are stratified according to light, oxygen, and nutrient gradients. Biofilms are initial colonization stages, only a few millimeters thick, while mature microbial mats can reach centimeter-scale thickness and display intricate vertical organization. Their structural and functional heterogeneity allows microorganisms to occupy distinct ecological niches within a few...
01:18Deep Sea Microbial Ecology
The deep ocean and its underlying sediments represent vast, largely unexplored microbial habitats that extend far beyond the sunlit photic zone. The photic (euphotic) zone typically spans the upper ~100–200 meters of pelagic waters in the open ocean, but its depth varies geographically and seasonally, where sufficient light supports photosynthetic life. Below this lies the deep sea, spanning roughly 1000–6000 meters (bathypelagic to abyssal zones), with deeper hadal trenches extending beyond...
01:24Freshwater Microbial Ecology
Freshwater systems such as streams, rivers, and lakes exhibit distinct physical and biological characteristics that influence their microbial communities. These environments are broadly categorized into lotic systems—those with flowing waters like streams and most rivers—and lentic systems, which include still or slow-moving waters such as lakes, ponds, and marshes.In lentic systems, phytoplankton drive primary production, generating autochthonous organic carbon. In contrast, lotic systems...
01:28Microbial Nutrition
Organisms exhibit remarkable metabolic diversity, categorized based on how they acquire energy and carbon. These strategies enable survival in various ecological niches and are essential for maintaining energy flow and nutrient cycling within ecosystems.Energy and Carbon SourcesOrganisms are classified as phototrophs or chemotrophs based on energy acquisition. Phototrophs use light as their energy source, while chemotrophs rely on oxidizing chemical compounds. Further differentiation arises...
01:26Microbial Interactions: Competition
Microbial competition is an ecological interaction in which microorganisms vie for limited resources within shared environments. These resources may include nutrients, space, or light, depending on the system. The intensity and outcome of competition are influenced by the environmental context, such as nutrient availability, spatial constraints, and the diversity of microbial species present. These competitive interactions significantly influence the structure, function, and resilience of...