Tuesday, August 19, 2014
A University of Otago researcher is part of an international team whose study findings reveal how ocean bacteria use light to grow.
The study suggests bacteria may play a more significant role in the biogeochemistry of oceans than previously thought.
Otago marine scientist Dr Federico Baltar investigated a bacterium called Dakdonia.
He discovered that when the bacteria was exposed to light it switched to obtaining one-third of its cellular carbon from CO2.