Climate change and the potential spreading of marine mucilage and microbial pathogens in the Mediterranean Sea.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Marine snow (small amorphous aggregates with colloidal properties) is present in all oceans of the world. Surface water warming and the consequent increase of water column stability can favour the coalescence of marine snow into marine mucilage, large marine aggregates representing an ephemeral and extreme habitat. Marine mucilage characterize aquatic systems with altered environmental conditions.

Methodology/principal findings

We investigated, by means of molecular techniques, viruses and prokaryotes within the mucilage and in surrounding seawater to examine the potential of mucilage to host new microbial diversity and/or spread marine diseases. We found that marine mucilage contained a large and unexpectedly exclusive microbial biodiversity and hosted pathogenic

SUBMITTER: Danovaro R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2739426 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature