Solar energy sustaining marine ecosystems is captured mainly by bacteria

Contrary to what was previously believed, research coordinated by IOCAG's Javier Arístegui as part of the HOTMIX project has shown that sunlight, the main source of energy that sustains marine ecosystems, is captured principally by bacteria and not by microalgae and cyanobacteria. Experiments conducted from the oceanographic vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa have allowed the contribution of three pigments (chlorophyll, bacteriochlorophyll and proteorhodopsin) to be quantified as well as establishing their geographical distribution and the amount of energy captured by each. More details on this research can be found on the ULPGC website.