TY - JOUR T1 - The Importance of Chitin in the Marine Environment JF - Marine Biotechnology Y1 - 2011 A1 - Souza,C. P. A1 - Almeida,B. C. A1 - Rita R Colwell A1 - Rivera,I. N. G. AB - Chitin is the most abundant renewable polymer in the oceans and is an important source of carbon and nitrogen for marine organisms. The process of chitin degradation is a key step in the cycling of nutrients in the oceans and chitinolytic bacteria play a significant role in this process. These bacteria are autochthonous to both marine and freshwater ecosystems and produce chitinases that degrade chitin, an insoluble polysaccharide, to a biologically useful form. In this brief review, a description of the structure of chitin and diversity of chitinolytic bacteria in the oceans is provided, in the context of the significance of chitin degradation for marine life. M3 - 10.1007/s10126-011-9388-1 ER -