Microscopic prokaryotes hold a massive share of Earth's living carbon and nutrients
In short: Researchers estimating global microbial populations found that prokaryotes represent a staggering portion of Earth's biological wealth. Their total cellular carbon is estimated to be 60% to 100% of the amount found in all plants, and they hold roughly ten times more nitrogen and phosphorus than the world's plant life.
By calculating cell numbers and nutrient content across environments like the open ocean and soil, the study highlights how these unseen organisms drive global nutrient cycles. While these estimates provide a new scale for biological models, the researchers acknowledge that the figures are subject to a great deal of uncertainty.
Why it matters: Including microbial carbon in global models nearly doubles the estimated amount of carbon stored in living organisms.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Research: Whitman et al. (1998). Prokaryotes: The unseen majority. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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