Discover Measuring Marine Microbes Using Enzymes
There are billions and billions of bacteria in every gallon of coastal seawater. Scientists from the Rutgers COOLroom and Oregon State’s Collaboratory have built a new tool to help us better understand the role of these microscopic creatures. The underwater instrument shown below collects information on marine bacterial growth by monitoring the enzymes they use to obtain nutrition.
The MACHINE! – The Multiple Enzyme Analyzer
The MEA and its electrical “guts” prepare to be deployed off the coast of New Jersey to monitor bacterial enzyme activity.
The Multiple Enzyme Analyzer, sometimes referred to as THE MACHINE and better known as the MEA, can determine the rate (or speed) at which marine bacteria digest organic matter. Food in the open ocean is not always readily available, especially for tiny organisms like bacteria. Just like the first one to the dinner table gets the best piece of chicken (at least at my house), the same holds true for marine microbes. So what happens to the bacteria that are “late to the table?” They produce ectoenzymes, which efficiently and rapidly break down organic matter into usable food. In turn, breaking these big compounds down also allows for the release of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous back into the water. These are essential nutrients for ocean life and help fuel the growth of phytoplankton, other microorganisms that form key links in the marine food chain. However, excessive nutrients can create conditions that are harmful to sea life and lead to fish kills in the marine environment.
Advantages of the MEA
The MEA prepares for its initial deployment 3 miles offshore of Tuckerton, NJ. It currently sits in 40 feet of water collecting marine bacteria enzyme data. Connected to land by an undersea cable, it continuously sends data back to land to be reviewed by researchers.One cool thing about this instrument is that it indirectly helps to monitor if nutrient levels are becoming too high in our coastal waters. This device measures the specific types of enzymes bacteria produce to break down organic molecules. More importantly, the MEA will also measure the overall activity of the enzymes present in the water. By looking at changes in the enzyme activity, scientists can then determine if there are lots of nutrients available for the bacteria. The more nutrients available, the more bacteria can live there, which is good. However, if there amount of nutrients is too high and there are too many bacteria, it can become dangerous to the ecosystem. Bacteria, like you and me, breathe oxygen, SO the more bacteria the less oxygen available. Without oxygen many organisms will die.
Living Room Science?
The REALLY cool thing about this instrument is its ability to record data on its own for weeks at a time. In the past, researchers would have to take a similar type of instrument aboard a ship, collect water from the side of the ship, add special solutions to each sample, let it sit for a while, take a measurement, record the data, and then move on to the next location. This method of obtaining data was slow and tedious, really pricey, and believe it or not many oceanographers got seasick doing it!
With the development of the MEA that long process may no longer be necessary. The MEA has high tech gadgetry so that it can be placed at a site, attached to a power source and a tube that will continuously bring in seawater, and it will record the enzyme activity and transmit the collected information back to scientists on land. This is called real-time data. In the future, instead of going to sea, marine microbiologists might sit at home and watch their data flow into their home computer while a machine like the MEA does all the work! Why do you think this would be an advantage for scientists?
Test your knowledge!
Take a quiz on measuring enzymes.