Diversity, metabolic activity and adaptation of bacteria in the sea-surface microlayer

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Thorsten Brinkhoff
• Subject Area: Oceanography
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 451574234

Recent indications show that bacterioneuston processing of organic matter in the sea-surface microlayer (SML) plays a role in controlling the flux of climate-active trace gases and storage of anthropogenic deposits from the atmosphere. Our past research indicated the importance of bacterial activity in the SML concerning carbon cycling, but also highlighted the many unknown influences on bacterioneuston metabolism in this layer. In particular, photochemical transformation of organic matter, in conjunction with the detrimental effect of solar radiation on bacteria in the SML, has not been explicitly addressed. Thus, our motivation for the proposed work is to significantly improve the knowledge on metabolic processes and adaptations of bacteria in the SML on a bulk, single-cell and strain level, in relation to the physical and chemical variability in this boundary layer. Moreover, zooplankton is an important carbon link between phytoplankton, bacteria and the higher food web in the SML, however, relevant data are essentially missing. Thus, for the first time, we will also conduct studies on zooplankton distribution and grazing in the North Sea SML.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 5267: Biogeochemical processes and Air-sea exchange in the Sea-Surface microlayer (BASS)
• International Connection: Austria
• Partner Organisation: Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF)
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Meinhard Simon
• Cooperation Partners: Professor Dr. Gerhard J. Herndl; Dr. Thomas Reinthaler