Canadian and U.S. researchers have mapped the genome of a microbe that lives in ocean “dead zones,” areas of low-oxygen water that are expanding because of climate change.Researchers at the University of British Columbia and the U.S. Department of Energy say the microbe, called SUP05, is the most abundant organism in these oxygen-minimum zones and plays an important role in their ecosystems.Because of this, SUP05 is a useful indicator for the overall health of ocean ecosystems, the scientists said in a study published in this week’s issue of Science.
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