Small yes but not despicable

2005/10/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Mikrobiologia

It is the smallest bacteria known as SAR11. The genome is also very small in size. It lives in the sea and is very abundant: all SAR11 bacteria living in the
oceans weigh more than all fish. Half of the photosynthesis carried out on the planet is carried out by oceanic algae, to which half of the oxygen produced is due. In this way, bacteria such as SAR11 bacteria recycle organic carbon, generating the nutrients needed by algae to grow.