ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MICROBIOLOGY, THIRD EDITION, ELSEVIER, OXFORD, pp. 258-277

Marine habitats and conditions for microbial growth

David M. Karl¹ and Ricardo Letelier²

¹University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA

²Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA

A habitat is the natural abode of an organism. The marine habitat is composed of a diverse spectrum of environments each supporting the proliferation of a diverse assemblage of microorganisms. When habitats vary, for example as a result of seasonal and longer term climate forcing, the diversity and function of the microbial assemblage will also change. The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG), one of Earth's largest habitats, is an excellent example of a marine habitat in motion with respect to microbial structure and function.