My research: Fate of Bacterial Biomass and Influence on Non-living Organic Matter – Dr. Hiroyuki Takasu

Heterotrophic bacteria consume and transform a large fraction of marine primary production and exert a major influence on oceanic carbon and nitrogen cycles. I am particularly interested in the fate of bacterial biomass and its influence on the composition and cycling of non-living organic matter in marine environments. We found that bacterially derived organic matter accounts for a large fraction of the marine particulate organic matter in the deep ocean. This result supports the previous notion that bacterially derived organic matter affects the transport and storage of reduced carbon in the oceans.

Takasu, H. and Nagata T. (2015) High proline content of bacteria-sized particles in the western North Pacific and its potential as a new biogeochemical indicator of organic matter diagenesis Front. Mar. Sci. | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2015.00110 <OPEN ACCESS>

R/V Hakuho-Maru.