Scribd
Upload
20 views2 pages

Understanding the Microbial Loop

Microorganisms play an important role in the marine environment through the microbial loop. The microbial loop describes how dissolved organic carbon is incorporated into bacterial biomass and enters the classic food chain through phytoplankton and zooplankton. Phytoplankton and algae form the base of aquatic food webs and are eaten by primary consumers like zooplankton and small fish, who are then consumed by larger fish, sharks, corals, and whales.

Uploaded by

Mary Joy Sarzuela Pelaez
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
20 views2 pages

Understanding the Microbial Loop

Microorganisms play an important role in the marine environment through the microbial loop. The microbial loop describes how dissolved organic carbon is incorporated into bacterial biomass and enters the classic food chain through phytoplankton and zooplankton. Phytoplankton and algae form the base of aquatic food webs and are eaten by primary consumers like zooplankton and small fish, who are then consumed by larger fish, sharks, corals, and whales.

Uploaded by

Mary Joy Sarzuela Pelaez
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

MICROBIAL WORLD

MARY JOY S. PELAEZ


BSED SCIENCE/ 3B
a trophic pathway in the marine microbial food web where 
dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is returned to higher
trophic levels via its incorporation into bacterial biomass,
and then coupled with the classic food chain formed by 
phytoplankton-zooplankton-nekton. The term microbial
loop was coined by Farooq Azam, Tom Fenchel et al.[1] to
include the role played by bacteria in the carbon and
nutrient cycles of the marine environment.

Phytoplankton and algae form the bases of aquatic


food webs. They are eaten by primary consumers like
zooplankton, small fish, and crustaceans. Primary
consumers are in turn eaten by fish, small sharks,
corals, and baleen whales. ... Humans
consume aquatic life from every section of this food
web.

You might also like