Marine bacterioplankton includes a variety of life forms belonging to the domain bacteria, which inhabit the water column of all the seas and oceans of the planet. Marine bacteria possess enormous metabolic and physiological versatility, which gives them an essential role in practically all the biogeochemical cycles of the planet. Thus, bacterioplankton control the fluxes of nutrients in the system through the re-mineralization of organic matter, playing a fundamental role in the flux of carbon and other biogeochemical cycles such as nitrogen, phosphorus or sulfur. For this reason, the study of their diversity and ecology is fundamental for an adequate understanding of the function of ecosystems.
In order to better understand the processes that govern marine bacterioplankton communities in pelagic waters, the Biological Oceanography Group, GOB, of the University of Vigo, has among its objectives the study of the biogeographic patterns of marine bacterioplankton that inhabit the euphotic zone along different spatial and temporal scales. One of the areas selected for the study, carried out by Víctor Hernando in his doctoral thesis and coordinated by Eva Teira, in collaboration with members of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography of A Coruña and Vigo and the Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas of Vigo, CSIC, was the coast of Galicia, which represents the northern limit of one of the main upwelling systems in the eastern part of the world’s oceans.
Under this research work, the annual dynamics of the structure and composition of the bacterial community at two different depths in waters of the Galician shelf in the external areas of the Vigo and A Coruña estuaries were studied and the bacterial populations were phylogenetically identified with the aim of studying the spatial and temporal dynamics of the different taxa in the system.
The main results will be presented by Victor Hernando next Friday 22nd at ECIMAT at 11am under the Café con Sal program, with the conference entitled “Biogeographic patterns of surface marine bacterioplankton”.
See Full program of the VI Edition of the Café con Sal Scientific Presentations Program.
See Victor Hernando’s presentation poster.
For more information on the topic of this conference, you can consult the University of Vigo newspaper and the ECIMAT blog.
Esperamosvos na ECIMAT.
