Cryptic Links in the Ocean.

The article discusses a report within the issue regarding an analysis of the microbial cycling of nitrogen and sulfur in the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) in the offshore waters of northern Chile. According to researchers, the results of the study suggest that the working hypotheses used by scientists to study microbial interactions and processes of stratified marine water columns has overlooked the contribution of the "cryptic" microbial sulfur cycle. An overview of the strategy used by bacterial communities, such as the nitrate-reducing Thioploca species, in oxygen-depleted water columns to link nitrogen and sulfur cycles in the ocean are presented.