Chad Lloyd

Marine microbial communities are responsible for transforming organic matter in the ocean that is produced by phytoplankton. A large fraction of this organic matter is classified as polysaccharides; our lab focuses on these substrates because they are complex and abundant in ocean systems. In order to consume polysaccharides, some members of microbial communities must produce extracellular enzymes of the correct structural specificity to hydrolyze this complex material into smaller pieces. Our data shows that particle-associated bacteria are able to produce a broader array of enzymes than bulk bacteria, influencing the rate and ultimately the amount of carbon that is turned over in the ocean.