Your name:

Saptaswa Biswas

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Instagram- @_7mustangs_

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Macro images

Image title:

The breath of the benthos

Image description:

The photograph taken using a smartphone's macro lens captures the phenomenon of pearling - oxygen production underwater from a lab grown algal-cyanobacterial biofilm as seen under water and also as total internal reflection. Photosynthesis at a high rate and the biofilm's extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix lead to a supersaturated oxygen environment below the diffusive boundary layer which generates pure oxygen bubbles which stick to the biofilm surface rather than diffuse out or float to the surface. The photograph provides a unique window to the capability of these benthic primary producers to influence microclimates and biogeochemical cycles, and most importantly be the breath for the whole ecosystem