The Tara embarked on plankton research to understand the future of the oceans in the next 50 to 100 years. It turns out that the existence of plankton is linked to climatic factors (temperature, precipitation, ocean acidification, …) and they provide half the oxygen in nature. Chris Bowler explains that the study of these microorganisms is very complex and it will take about ten years to get his team to effectively interpret the influence of the behavior of these organisms on the ocean.
After four years of expeditions, almost 35,000 samples were collected over the entire globe
The expedition endeavored to describe all facets of an unknown world, almost invisible: the plankton. “The plankton is more than food for whales , describes Chris Bowler (ENS, Inserm, CNRS). These microorganisms are the basis of the entire ocean food chain, but also mechanisms that affect the entire planet, as the carbon cycle. “ They represent 80% of the biomass of the oceans, through photosynthesis and produce half the oxygen we breathe. “The analysis revealed about 40 million microbial genes which the vast majority are suggesting that the new plankton biodiversity could be much greater than what we imagined,” said Patrick Wincker the French National Sequencing Centre (Genoscope) One member of the team.
“This is the largest ever conducted sequencing of work for marine organisms”
The organisms forming plankton-virus, microbes, unicellular algae and fish- larvae drifting in the ocean by the currents produce half of our oxygen, absorb much of the carbon emitted into the atmosphere and influence as they are influenced by climate.
This mapping is a first step towards greater understanding of the dynamics and structure of the marine ecosystem as a whole, comment the researchers.
In particular, they sequenced nearly billion genetic barcodes of micro-organisms in plankton and found that there is a greater variety of unicellular eukaryotes such as microalgae expected, says Colomban de Vargas, director of research at the National Centre French Scientific Research (CNRS).
Groups of different organizations are formed depending on the temperature of the water.
Understanding the distribution of these organisms in the oceans and their interactions will be very useful to calibrate computer models needed to study changes across the globe, including especially global warming and its future impact on ocean ecosystems.
“This adventure is also used to show (the public) how the oceans are important for our own well-being, “said Eric Karsenti, director of Tara Oceans and Director of Research at the CNRS.
The expedition has reduced 35,000 Samples from all the seas and ocean basins on the planet a small part has so far been studied.
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