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Bacterial degradation and disaggregation of marine detritus.

Bacterial degradation and disaggregation of marine detritus.
Bacterial degradation and disaggregation of marine detritus.
Bacterial degradation and disaggregation of marine detritus.
Bacterial degradation and disaggregation of marine detritus.
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292731
Cook, John E.
Bacterial degradation and disaggregation of marine detritus.
Illustration
04/01/2010
Bacteria_detritus.jpg
Compilation of illustrations from Oceanus magazine, Vol. 48, No. 1, pg. 4 and 5. Captions as follows:
1. Colonization. Searching for food, bacteria colonize
particles of marine detritus.
2. Proliferation & communication. Bacteria produce acylated
homoserine lactones, or AHLs (small squiggles). Bacteria send out chemicals (AHLs) to sense if other bacteria are in the vicinitya microbial equivalent of sending out Tweets to organize a block party.
3. Threshold population. Bacteria begin to proliferate. The concentration of AHLs rises.
4. Coordindated degradation. AHL levels reach a threshold signaling that the bacteria population has grown large. The bacteria begin to release digestive enzymes.
5. Disaggregation. The enzymes break down particles into bits that disperse into the water. As a result, less carbon sinks to the ocean depths and less heat-trapping carbon dioxide is drawn out of the atmosphere.
Illustration by Jack Cook
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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