Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Tyree
Good points Timfish, but don't count bacteria out yet. . l.
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You're preaching to the choir Steve.
Just like it's easier to say "coral" than it is "coral holobiont" when referring to a coral and it's species unique microbial assemblage it's easier to say "sponge" than "sponge-microbe association". I agree the importance of bacteria in maintaining healthy reef ecosystems cannot be overstated.
What I was referring to with regards to sponges and DOC was de Goeij's experiments showing cryptic sponges are removing in about 30 minutes the organic carbon that bacterioplankton need in 19 days to remove.