Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Microenvironments01:22

Microenvironments

Microorganisms inhabit highly localized spaces known as microenvironments, which are defined by distinct physical and chemical characteristics. These include oxygen concentration, pH, temperature, light availability, and nutrient levels. The conditions within a microenvironment can differ markedly from those in the surrounding area and significantly influence microbial growth, metabolism, and community structure.Microenvironments often display sharp physicochemical gradients over small spatial...
Freshwater Microbial Ecology01:24

Freshwater 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...
Surface Membrane Barriers01:18

Surface Membrane Barriers

The skin and mucous membranes serve as the primary line of defense against pathogens by providing both physical and chemical protection. These barriers are essential in preventing the entry and establishment of microbes, thereby maintaining the integrity of the host.
The outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, is a robust barrier comprising layers of closely packed keratinized cells. This dense arrangement prevents microbes from penetrating the body. The periodic shedding of epidermal cells...
Microbial Mats01:25

Microbial 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...
Microbial Wastewater Treatment01:30

Microbial Wastewater Treatment

Microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems play a key role in the natural breakdown of contaminants introduced through domestic and industrial effluents. Acting as biological catalysts, these microbes change and mineralize a wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants under different redox conditions.In oxygen-rich surface waters, aerobic heterotrophs lead organic matter breakdown, using oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor to efficiently oxidize substrates to carbon dioxide and water.
Marine Microbial Ecology01:30

Marine 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...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Copper requirements and copper toxicity as niche-defining factors in the growth of terrestrial ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria.

FEMS microbiology ecology·2026
Same author

Hydrazine Synthase From Anammox Is Inhibited by Linear and Aromatic Alkynes.

Environmental microbiology·2026
Same author

Next release of the European Marine Omics Biodiversity Observation Network (EMO BON) shotgun metagenomic data from water and sediment samples (Release 2).

Biodiversity data journal·2026
Same author

Adaptive traits for chitin utilization in the saprotrophic aquatic chytrid fungus <i>Rhizoclosmatium globosum</i>.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2025
Same author

ParAquaSeq, a Database of Ecologically Annotated rRNA Sequences Covering Zoosporic Parasites Infecting Aquatic Primary Producers in Natural and Industrial Systems.

Molecular ecology resources·2025
Same author

Distinct Patterns of Antibiotic Sensitivities in Ammonia-Oxidising Archaea.

Environmental microbiology·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Assembly and Tracking of Microbial Community Development within a Microwell Array Platform
09:24

Assembly and Tracking of Microbial Community Development within a Microwell Array Platform

Published on: June 6, 2017

Microbiology of aquatic surface microlayers.

Michael Cunliffe1, Robert C Upstill-Goddard, J Colin Murrell

  • 1Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, Plymouth, UK. micnli@mba.ac.uk

FEMS Microbiology Reviews
|August 24, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Aquatic surface microlayers host distinct microbial communities that significantly influence air-water gas exchange and global biogeochemistry. Understanding these neuston ecosystems is crucial for Earth system science.

More Related Videos

Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology
10:43

Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology

Published on: November 5, 2014

Methods for Characterizing the Co-development of Biofilm and Habitat Heterogeneity
09:21

Methods for Characterizing the Co-development of Biofilm and Habitat Heterogeneity

Published on: March 11, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Assembly and Tracking of Microbial Community Development within a Microwell Array Platform
09:24

Assembly and Tracking of Microbial Community Development within a Microwell Array Platform

Published on: June 6, 2017

Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology
10:43

Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology

Published on: November 5, 2014

Methods for Characterizing the Co-development of Biofilm and Habitat Heterogeneity
09:21

Methods for Characterizing the Co-development of Biofilm and Habitat Heterogeneity

Published on: March 11, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Environmental Science
  • Biogeochemistry

Background:

  • Aquatic surface microlayers, also known as neuston, form unique microbial ecosystems at the air-water interface.
  • These microlayers play a critical role in regulating air-water gas exchange, impacting global biogeochemical cycles.
  • Current understanding of neuston microbiology is limited, with few studies employing advanced molecular techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the ecological significance of aquatic surface microlayers.
  • To emphasize the need for robust sampling methods for neuston research.
  • To underscore the importance of microbial communities in regulating air-water gas exchange.

Main Methods:

  • Review of various sampling techniques for aquatic surface microlayers.
  • Discussion of the biogeochemical roles of neuston microbial populations.
  • Analysis of existing molecular ecology studies on neuston.

Main Results:

  • Aquatic surface microlayers harbor complex microbial communities distinct from subsurface water.
  • Neuston microbial activity, including methanotrophy, directly impacts air-water gas exchange.
  • These biofilms are aggregate-enriched environments with significant ecological roles.

Conclusions:

  • Aquatic surface microlayers are ecologically distinct and vital microbial habitats.
  • Microbial communities in neuston significantly influence global biogeochemical processes.
  • Future research should integrate microbial diversity and ecosystem function in neuston to understand their role in Earth systems.