Synechococcus diversity and ecology in open ocean and coastal environments: a comparison

Abstract

This project focused on analyzing two specific types of bacteria (clades I and IV) within the genus Synechococcus. Both of these clades were found to be highly abundant in nutrient rich waters and were absent in nutrient poor waters. The ratio between these organisms also shifted from an IV dominated community in the open ocean to a much more even representation in the coastal samples which may be linked to iron limitation in the open ocean. However, the abundance of these organisms throughout both research sites demonstrates their importance to global carbon cycling and the ecosystem in general.