Bacterial contributions to the biogeochemical cycling of C and N

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Microbes are involved in an overwhelming variety of biogeochemical processes. In the perennially hypoxic St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE), they control organic matter (OM) degradation through respiration processes and thus oxygen levels in the different compartments of the ecosystem. They could also play a major role in the long-term preservation of OM in sediments. However, because of the complexity of the processes at play, identifying the microbial contributions to the cycling of OM and the compartments in which they are most active is not an easy task. Questions regarding the understanding of the biogeochemical processes controlling the long-term health of the SLE converge on a better understanding of the role of microbes in the redox conditions characterizing this system and in OM preservation in the sediments.