Name of plankton: Oceanic bacterioplankton
Where sample was found: Hydrostation S, 200m
Project: BIOS-SCOPE
Photo credit: Rachel Parsons, BIOS
What role do these organisms play in the ecosystem: Seawater was taken from 200m on the September BIOS-SCOPE cruise. This water was treated with specific carbon compounds to try and promote oceanic bacterioplankton growth. This image shows one of these treatments after 5 days of growth. The specific bacteria that has grown seems to dominate the community and will be identified using DNA sequencing and fluorescent in-situ hybridization.
Interesting facts: The cell morphology shows that a rod shaped bacteria has grown and as a result it is suspected to be Alteromonas, is an opportunistic gammoproteobacteria that often blooms with the addition of carbon compounds to surface seawater.