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Micrograph collage of Trichodesmium, a photosynthetic bacteria.

Micrograph collage of Trichodesmium, a photosynthetic bacteria.
Micrograph collage of Trichodesmium, a photosynthetic bacteria.
Micrograph collage of Trichodesmium, a photosynthetic bacteria.
Micrograph collage of Trichodesmium, a photosynthetic bacteria.
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205036
Heithoff, Abigail
Micrograph collage of Trichodesmium, a photosynthetic bacteria.
Still Image
04/18/2006
Dhyrman_tricho_collage.jpg
Caption from 2013 wall calendar:
March - Prickly Plankton
Species of the single-celled phytoplankton Trichodesmium form colonies with distinctive shapes. Individual colonies, shown here, are visible to the naked eye; where currents and winds gather many colonies together, aggregations of them can be seen from orbiting satellites. Many scientists at WHOI are studying Trichodesmium because it plays key roles in cycling important elements in the ocean, such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
Image Of the Day caption:
New research by scientists at WHOI and the University of California, has demonstrated that Trichodesmium (shown here), a key organism in the oceans food web, will start reproducing at high speed as carbon dioxide levels rise, with no way to stop when nutrients become scarce. "Tricho," as they are also known by researchers, is one of the few organisms in the ocean that can "fix" atmospheric nitrogen gas, making it available to other organisms. It is crucial because all lifefrom algae to whales needs nitrogen to grow.
Photo by Abby Heithoff
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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