We don’t usually try to ID bacteria, but this does not mean that they are unimportant. While each bacterium might be tiny, they can group together in enourmous numbers, and contribute a significant proportion of the biomass of any ecosystem. One recent discovery was a microbial mat lying on the sea floor off the coast of South America that covered an area the size of Greece!

The Census of Marine Life (previously blogged here) estimates that between 50 and 90% of the entire biomass of the marine system is in the form of microscopic organisms.

Our next Marine ID lecture on Wednesday 12 May the will look very briefly at some microscopic algae (phytoplankton), before turning to try and give pointers on how to identify some common (large and easily spotted) seaweeds!

More information:
Giant Undersea Microbial Mat (via Science Daily)
Census of Marine Life
MCS Diary – more lectures/meetings and events