Moore Foundation grantee David Karl and colleagues at the University of Hawaii at Manoa developed a computer model encapsulating hundreds of genes, chemical reactions and compounds required for the survival of the most abundant microbe on the planet, called Prochlorococcus.
This new computer model is built from an enormous library of genetic data compiled from researchers around the world. The results were validated with data from numerous laboratory culture experiments and field studies.
"This will allow us to simulate marine microbial community metabolism at an unprecedented level of detail; embedding these fine-scale simulations within global ocean circulation models promises to deliver insights into how microbial assemblages interact with their environment and amongst each other," said John Casey, an oceanography doctoral candidate working with Karl and lead author of the study.
The model represents a window to the inner workings that enable microbes to dominate earth’s chemical and biological cycles, thrive in the harshest conditions and make the planet habitable.
As described in the study published in the journal mSystems, the team found Prochlorococcus has made extensive alterations to its metabolism as a way to reduce its dependence on phosphorus, an element that is essential and often growth-limiting in the ocean.
In the future, the researchers plan to expand the model to include more representatives of the marine microbial community and to look deeper into diversity within the Prochloroccocus genus.
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