Researchers discovered a trove of scientific evidence involving plankton, the smallest known organisms in the ocean.
According to BBC News, an international team of researchers published five studies in the journal Science detailing 35,000 bacteria species, 5,000 viruses and 150,000 single-celled plants and creatures. All were believed to be new discoveries.
"We established a means to study viral populations within more complex communities and found that surface ocean viruses were passively transported on currents and that population abundances were structured by local environmental conditions," Matthew Sullivan, a University of Arizona associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and co-author on the series of studies, said in a press release.
The studies came from a three-year mission known as the Tara Oceans Expeditions.
"The Tara Oceans expedition provided a platform for systematically sampling ocean biota from viruses to fish larvae, and in a comprehensive environmental context," Sullivan said. "Until now, a global picture of ocean viral community patterns and ecological drivers was something we could only dream of achieving."
Plankton appear to be everywhere in the ocean, but are perceived to be nothing more than whale food.
"We have the most complete description yet of planktonic organisms to date: what's there in terms of viruses, bacteria and protozoa - we finally have a catalogue of what is present globally," study co-author Chris Bowler, of the National Centre for Scientific Research, told BBC News.
The studies also represented a new way of conducting research.
"This is an incredible new way of doing science," Sullivan said. "At Tara Oceans, we are united by a common goal rather than a common funding source. These first papers show the world that we're capable of doing science at this scale, and yet they represent just the tip of the iceberg of what is hidden in these vast data sets. We've got years of work ahead of us."
