From 20th to 22th last July, our PhD student Sara Soria attended the V International Symposium of Marine Sciences at University of Alicante (Spain). She presented a poster titled “Microbial communities are coupled only in the dry season in a tropical estuary, Costa Rica“. The study focused on the distribution and abundance of phytoplankton and bacteria along the tropical estuary of the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica, one of the most productive estuaries of the world and an important fisheries area for Costa Rica.

Strong gradients of salinity and nutrients exist along the estuary whose intensity depends on season (rainy/dry). These interactions determine the fate of microbially transformed organic carbon and thus affect the productivity of the system. Furthermore, these complex interactions vary depending on biological and environmental factors. This information is crucial to manage effectively tropical estuaries, some of the most productive systems worldwide, which are under increased human pressure.