Algicidal Bacteria in Plankton Communities: Resistance, Lysis and Heterotrophy (C01)

• Subject Area: Organismic Interactions, Chemical Ecology and Microbiomes of Plant Systems ; Analytical Chemistry ; Microbial Ecology and Applied Microbiology ; Ecology and Biodiversity of Plants and Ecosystems ; Metabolism, Biochemistry and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Term: since 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 239748522

Organisms in the plankton form complex communities that contribute substantially to global primary production and fuel the marine food web. This project focuses on the role of secondary metabolites as mediators of the complex plankton community structure. We focus on the lytic bacterium Kordia algicida that is capable of lysing bloom forming algae and investigate its influence on plankton dynamics. The regulation of algal / bacterial interaction and the cascading effects on the marine food web will be addressed in lab and field experiments.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1127: Chemical Mediators in Complex Biosystems (ChemBioSys)
• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Georg Pohnert, Ph.D.