Farooq Azam is a biologist studying the roles of marine bacteria in ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles. With Kay D. Bidle, he showed that marine bacterial assemblages accelerate dissolution of the silica shells of diatoms. Removing the organic covering through microbial activity helps expose the mineral to dissolution, connecting the breakdown of biological material to recycling of a mineral nutrient.[ref]
Accelerated dissolution of diatom silica by marine bacterial assemblages by Kay D. Bidle and Farooq Azam. 1999, abstract and experiments on bacterial processing of diatom detritus
The result makes microscopic decomposition relevant to the ocean's silicon cycle: the persistence of a diatom shell depends on its biological coating and associated bacteria, as well as the chemistry of silica itself.
Portrait of Farooq Azam
. Identified portrait accompanying the university announcement. Source. New to topics? Read the docs here!