Abstract
Writers on biological oceanography and modellers of the marine food chain have been hesitant and uncertain of the importance of bacterial processes, indeed of microbial processes in general. There are good reasons for this. Marine bacteria are most probably among the smallest free-living organisms in the biosphere. Until comparatively recently the determination of their numbers and biomass has been difficult. The measurement of bacterial activity is even more problematic, the techniques specialized and their interpretation difficult if not obscure. Thus, the acceptance by non-microbiologists that bacteria may play a significant role in the marine food chain has been, and to some extent still is, an act of faith. Understandably and probably quite rightly biological oceanographers in the past have been cautious in incorporating a significant microbial component into conceptual or other models of the pelagic food chain.
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Williams, P.J.l. (1984). Bacterial Production in the Marine Food Chain: The Emperor’s New Suit of Clothes?. In: Fasham, M.J.R. (eds) Flows of Energy and Materials in Marine Ecosystems. NATO Conference Series, vol 13. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-0387-0_11
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