Bacterioplankton 1179806 223594097 2008-07-04T20:05:14Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other '''Bacterioplankton''' refers to the [[bacterium|bacterial]] component of the [[plankton]] that drifts in the water column. The name comes from the [[Greek language|Greek]] word πλανκτος ("planktos"), meaning "wanderer" or "drifter" (Thurman, 1997), and ''bacterium'', a word coined in the 19th century by [[Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg]]. They are found in both [[seawater]] and [[freshwater]]. Bacterioplankton occupy a range of [[ecological niche]]s in aquatic systems. Many are [[saprotroph]]ic, and obtain energy by consuming organic material produced by other organisms. This material may be [[Dissolved Organic Carbon|dissolved]] in the medium and taken directly from there, or bacteria may live and grow in association with particulate material such as [[marine snow]]. Many other bacterioplankton species are [[autotroph]]ic, and derive energy from either [[photosynthesis]] or [[chemosynthesis]]. The former are often categorised as [[phytoplankton|picophytoplankton]], and include [[cyanobacteria]]l groups such as ''[[Prochlorococcus]]'' and ''[[Synechococcus]]''. Bacterioplankton also play roles in ecological pathways such as [[nitrogen fixation]], [[nitrification]], [[denitrification]], [[remineralisation]] and [[methanogen]]esis. Like other small plankton, the bacterioplankton are [[predation|preyed]] upon by [[zooplankton]] (usually [[protozoa]]ns), and their numbers are also controlled through [[infection]] by [[bacteriophage]]s. ==References== * {{cite book | last = Thurman | first = H. V. | year = 1997 | title = Introductory Oceanography | publisher = Prentice Hall College | location = New Jersey, USA | ISBN = 0132620723 }} ==See also== * ''[[Pelagibacter]]'' * [[Phytoplankton]] * [[Plankton]] * [[Zooplankton]] ==External links== * [http://thalassa.cbl.umces.edu/MO2006/ Typical Marine bacterioplankton] * [http://thalassa.cbl.umces.edu/MO2006/marbac.html A list of Seawater Bacteria] * [http://halia.hik.se/mbd/start.jsp Marine Bacterioplankton Database] [[Category:Biological oceanography]] [[Category:Planktology]] [[Category:Aquatic ecology]] [[de:Bakterio- und Virioplankton]] [[et:Bakterioplankton]] [[fr:Bactérioplancton]] [[pl:Bakterioplankton]]