Global estimate for number of prokaryotes in both polar regions
| Value | 4E+24 Cells |
|---|---|
| Organism | prokaryote |
| Reference | William B. Whitman,*† David C. Coleman,‡ and William J. Wiebe. Prokaryotes: The unseen majority. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998 June 9 95(12): 6578–6583. p.6578 right column 4th paragraphPubMed ID9618454 |
| Comments | "In the polar regions, a relatively dense community of algae and prokaryotes forms at the water–ice interface in annual sea ice (11). In Antarctic sea ice, the estimated number of prokaryotes (2.2?10^24 cells) was based on the mean cell numbers of Delille and Rosiers (12) and the mean areal extent of seasonal ice (13). If the population size in the Arctic is similar (14), the global estimate for both polar regions is 4?10^24 cells, only a fraction of the total number of prokaryotes." |
| Entered by | Uri M |
| ID | 108498 |