Bacterioplankton plays a key role in decomposing organic matter and recycling nutrients in the ocean, although still little is know on the metabolic abilities of bacterioplankton, and even less of bacteria living in the deep ocean. We tested the utilization of 95 carbon sources (belonging to the main categories: carbohydrates, amino acids, carboxylic acids) in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans in order to assess functional diversity of bacterioplankton in vertical profiles from surface to 4000 m. Samples were inoculated in the microplates, incubated in the dark at in situ temperature and the absorbance of the plates was measured. The results show a generally higher utilization of carbohydrates and amino acids in the upper layers of all the oceans, above 100m, with the highest values in the southern Pacific Ocean. The utilization of carbon sources in the deep ocean was generally lower, with the exception of an area in the equatorial Pacific Ocean

Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Aquatic Sciences: Global And Regional Perspectives - North Meets South, 22-27 February 2015, Granada, Spain

Peer Reviewed