Climate change will alter ocean bacteria crucial to food chain – study

Irreversible changes to trichodesmium microorganisms could effect species from plankton to whales that depend on products it consumes or produces, say scientists

Climate change will have irreversible and unprecedented impacts on crucial ocean microorganisms that could trigger dramatic effects further up the food chain, according to scientists.

The bacteria trichodesmium is known for surviving in nutrient-poor parts of the ocean, where it converts nitrogen gas into a material that can be used by other forms of life - from plankton to whales - which all require it to grow.