The 100 μm length scale in the microbial ocean

Abstract

Marine microorganisms live and interact at the microscale. Yet, in a field traditionally dominated by human-scale sampling approaches, we are only just beginning to develop an appreciation for the importance of microbial microscale processes. Here, I propose that the 100 μm length scale is a useful yardstick to measure and develop an intuition for this rich microscale world, because it characterizes a range of physical, chemical and biological processes that occur in a microbe's quotidian journey through the sea.