Bacterial degradation of ctenophore organic matter.

Blooms of gelatinous zooplankton, an important source of protein-rich biomass in coastal waters, often collapse rapidly, releasing large amounts of labile detrital organic matter (OM) into the surrounding water. Although these blooms have the potential to cause major perturbations in the marine ecosystem, their effects on the microbial community and hence on the biogeochemical cycles have yet to be elucidated. We conducted microcosm experiments simulating the scenario experienced by coastal bacterial communities after the decay of a ctenophore () bloom in the northern Adriatic Sea.

Characterization of membrane vesicles in indicates potential roles in their copiotrophic lifestyle.

Bacterial membrane vesicles (MVs) are abundant in the oceans, but their potential functional roles remain unclear. In this study we characterized MV production and protein content of six strains of , a cosmopolitan marine bacterium. strains varied in their MV production rates, with some releasing up to 30 MVs per cell per generation.