Bacterial bonds are able to have a significant impact on the planet's climate
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Researchers from the Oceanographic Institute Woods Hole (USA) found that bacterial bonds can have a significant impact on the climate of the planet.
In the ocean, bacteria adhere to the smallest carbon-rich particles descending to the depth - basically they are either tiny marine plants that have emanated the spirit, or the excrement of zooplankton, which has regretted the microflora. Biogeochemists Laura Khmelo, Benjamin Van Moi and Tracy Minser found that bacteria send chemical signals to see if there are other bacteria nearby. If there are enough neighbors, they proceed to mass isolation of enzymes, which split the carbon-containing molecules of these particles into more digestible pieces. It was suggested that the coordinated production of enzymes is very beneficial to the bacteria living on such sinking particles, and the first evidence is found that this is indeed the case.
"It does not often occur to us that bacteria are capable of making group decisions, but it's true," emphasizes Ms. Khmelo, now a student at the University of Washington.
The source of carbon in these particles is atmospheric carbon dioxide. Communication between bacteria can lead to the release of carbon at lower depths. Thus, less carbon falls to the bottom, from where it is more difficult to return to the atmosphere. This is the first proof that bacterial communication plays an important role in the Earth's carbon cycle.
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