Microbial and photochemical degradation of dissolved organic matter in aquatic ecosystems

issolved organic carbon (DOC) is the most abundant form of organic carbon in aquatic environments and represents one of the largest reactive carbon reservoirs on Earth. Microorganisms are considered the primary remineralizers of DOC, but little is known about the factors regulating microbial utilization. The reactivity and microbial utilization of DOC and its high-molecular-weight (HMW;...