Switching up: Marine bacteria shift between lifestyles to get the best resources

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba and ETH Zurich have found that marine bacteria exploit resource patches efficiently by switching between attached and planktonic lifestyles, and fine-tuning the time spent on patches depending on their quality. Bacteria stayed longer on higher-quality patches, as predicted by patch use theory. Future studies in this area could help to predict the role of marine bacteria in the global carbon cycle.
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