What is the most abundant organism on Earth?
You've never seen it, but it outnumbers everything else combined.
The answer
Bacteriophages - viruses that infect bacteria - are the most numerous biological entities on Earth, with an estimated 10 to the 31st power (10 nonillion) individuals. They outnumber bacteria roughly 10 to 1 in most environments. Every day, phages kill approximately 40% of all ocean bacteria, releasing nutrients that fuel marine ecosystems. Despite being invisible to the naked eye, they collectively contain more carbon than every human, elephant, and whale on the planet combined.
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology
- microorganisms
- biology
- viruses
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