Microbial parameters for advanced ecosystem models.

An attempt to evaluate the carbon transfer through the microbial community has been carried out in the Northern Adriatic Sea by the estimation of enzymatic and respiratory processes. The enzymatic hydrolysis (peptidase, ?-glucosidase, phosphatase) of particulate and dissolved organic matter allows the release of simple monomers and their uptake by bacteria. The oxidation of the produced biomass through respiration provides newly available carbon dioxide for the production by autotrophic microorganisms.