Ocean’s key microbe may collapse as seas keep warming: Study
Prochlorococcus, the ocean's most abundant microbe and driver of 5% of global photosynthesis, is nearing its thermal limit. A decade-long study shows it thrives only in waters below 30°C. As per experts, warming seas could slash its tropical populations by up to 50%, disrupting food webs from plankton to whales and reshaping marine ecosystems toward the poles.