From the Forest Canopy to the Aquifer: the Role of Microbial Processes in the Origin and Fate of Nitrate in the Earth’s Critical Zone (B05)

• Subject Area: Microbial Ecology and Applied Microbiology
• Term: since 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 218627073

This project will identify microbially-driven key processes involved in nitrate input into and nitrogen loss from the limestone aquifers of the Hainich CZE. We will follow nitrification potential and nitrifying communities from the forest canopies to the aquifers, address the potential role of complete nitrifiers (comammox organisms), and evaluate the relevance of anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) versus denitrification for groundwater nitrogen loss. Activity measurements of nitrification, anammox, and denitrification will be linked to the spatial distribution and transcriptional activity of the corresponding microbial groups, employing 15N-based techniques, quantitative PCR, Illumina amplicon sequencing, and single cell genomics.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1076: AquaDiva: Understanding the Links between Surface and Subsurface Biogeosphere
• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
• Project Head: Dr. Martina Herrmann