Prochlorococcus: the structure and function of collective diversity
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NRM_final_wfigs for Dspace.pdf
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1.13 MB
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Adobe PDF
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Author(s)
Berube, Paul M.
Lindell, Debbie
Biller, Steven
Chisholm, Sallie (Penny)
Date Issued
December 2014
Journal
Nature Reviews Microbiology
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
Citation
Biller, Steven J., Paul M. Berube, Debbie Lindell, and Sallie W. Chisholm. “Prochlorococcus: The Structure and Function of Collective Diversity.” Nature Reviews Microbiology 13, no. 1 (December 1, 2014): 13–27.
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
The marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is the smallest and most abundant photosynthetic organism on Earth. In this Review, we summarize our understanding of the diversity of this remarkable phototroph and describe its role in ocean ecosystems. We discuss the importance of interactions of Prochlorococcus with the physical environment, with phages and with heterotrophs in shaping the ecology and evolution of this group. In light of recent studies, we have come to view Prochlorococcus as a 'federation' of diverse cells that sustains its broad distribution, stability and abundance in the oceans via extensive genomic and phenotypic diversity. Thus, it is proving to be a useful model system for elucidating the forces that shape microbial populations and ecosystems.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro3378
