Bacterial carbon processing by generalist species in the coastal ocean

Xiaozhen Mou, Shulei Sun, Robert A. Edwards, Robert E. Hodson and Mary Ann Moran ()
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Xiaozhen Mou: University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
Shulei Sun: University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
Robert A. Edwards: San Diego State University, San Diego, California 92182, USA
Robert E. Hodson: University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
Mary Ann Moran: University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA

Nature, 2008, vol. 451, issue 7179, 708-711

Abstract: Bacteria at sea Metagenomics, or environmental genomics, has revolutionized our picture of microorganisms in the real world — as opposed to how they behave in laboratory cultivated 'clonal' cultures. A novel example of 'experimental metagenomics' is now reported, involving the creation of a 20-litre microcosm of sea water collected off Sapelo Island in the US state of Georgia. Manipulation of the system shows that this coastal microbial community is dominated by metabolic generalists capable of utilizing a wide variety of organic compounds, rather than by bacterial species that specialize in metabolizing a specific component of the dissolved organic carbon pool. This finding has important implications for identifying taxon–function relationships for carbon cycle-relevant processes and the construction of predictive models of ocean biogeochemistry.

Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1038/nature06513

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