Iron stimulation of Antarctic bacteria

Recent investigations of the ocean's iron cycle have focused primarily on the response of phytoplankton to iron enrichment. Bacteria, however, are important in the trophodynamics and elemental cycles of marine ecosystems. With the exception of phototrophic prokaryotes, the response of bacteria to iron enrichment has largely been ignored. Here we report the results of an iron-enrichment experiment suggesting that the growth of heterotrophic bacteria in Antarctic waters is stimulated by low-concentration additions of iron.