Organic mass in the surface ocean is made up of 50% polysaccharides which are consumed by bacteria. In this video, GRETA GILJAN examines how bacterial consumption of polysaccharides takes place as well as its carbon impact. Giljan employs fluorescently labeled polysaccharides (FLA-PS) to show how different bacteria use variant methods to take up polysaccharides at particular times of year. The research further demonstrates that of the two mechanisms explored, extra cellular hydrolysis has a very different carbon impact to so-called “selfish uptake”. One of the key aims of the work going forward will be to explore whether bacteria can switch between these different mechanisms in polysaccharide uptake.

LT Video Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.21036/LTPUB10855