Siderophores, high‐affinity Fe(III) ligands produced by microorganisms to facilitate iron acquisition, might contribute significantly to dissolved Fe(III) complexation in ocean surface waters. In previous work, we demonstrated the photoreactivity of the ferric ion complexes of several α‐hydroxy carboxylic acid—containing siderophores produced by heterotrophic marine bacteria. Here, we expand on our earlier studies and detail t...

Desferrioxamine B (DFOB, a terrestrial bacterial siderophore) has been used in experiments on waters from iron‐replete areas of the oceans to manipulate the levels of iron available to the biota. Addition of DFOB complexes the available iron (III) and has been suggested to render this complexed iron unavailable to marine microorganisms. We have identified a marine bacterium belonging to the genus Vibrio that produces the sider...