The article discusses a new study that proposes the “chitin raft” hypothesis, which explains how Prochlorococcus, the most abundant phytoplankton in the oceans, colonized open waters by latching onto particles of chitin. The chitin, which comes from degraded particles of ancient exoskeletons, served as rafts for the microbes to venture further out to sea. Researchers found a common gene in several modern strains of Prochlorococcus that encoded the ability to break down chitin, which they believed to be present in its ancestors, allowing them to attach to and feed on chitin, and ride the flakes out to sea. The study provides evidence and genetic analysis supporting the chitin raft hypothesis and its significant contribution to the rise of modern marine ecosystems.
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