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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.07.13.499956

Warmer temperatures favor slower-growing bacteria in natural marine communities

Abreu, C. I.·Dal Bello, M.·Bunse, C.·Pinhassi, J.·Gore, J.
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Abstract

Earths life-sustaining oceans harbor diverse bacterial communities that display varying composition across time and space. While particular patterns of variation have been linked to a range of factors, unifying rules are lacking, preventing the prediction of future changes. Here, analyzing the distribution of fast- and slow-growing bacteria in ocean datasets spanning seasons, latitude, and depth, we show that higher seawater temperatures universally favor slower-growing taxa, in agreement with theoretical predictions. Our results explain why slow growers dominate at the ocean surface, during summer, and near the tropics, and provide a framework to understand how bacterial communities will change in a warmer world.

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Abreu, C. I., Dal Bello, M., Bunse, C., Pinhassi, J., Gore, J.. 2022-07-16. Warmer temperatures favor slower-growing bacteria in natural marine communities. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.07.13.499956

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