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The microbial loop is a term coined to describe a trophic pathway in aquatic environments where dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is reintroduced to the food web through the incorporation into bacteria. Bacteria are consumed mostly by protists such as flagellates and ciliates. These protists, in turn, are consumed by larger aquatic organisms (for example small crustaceans like copepods). The DOC is introduced into aquatic environments from several sources, such as the leakage of fixed carbon from algal cells, lysis of bacteria by marine bacteriophages and the excretion of waste products by aquatic animals and microbes. DOC is also produced by the breakdown and dissolution of organic particles. In inland waters and coastal environments, DOC can originate from terrestrial plants and soils. For the most part, this dissolved carbon is unavailable to aquatic organisms other than bacteria. Thus, the reclamation of this organic carbon into food web results in additional energy available tohigher trophic levels (e.g. fish).