Biogeochemistry of marine palynomorphs

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Walter Michaelis
• Subject Area: Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry
• Term: from 2005 to 2009
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5445958

Sedimentary organic matter is by far the largest sink in the global carbon cycle, but its chemical composition due to its predominantly (95 %) macromolecular natur is poorly understood. Over the last decades some resistant bio- and geopolymers from terrestrial and freshwater biota have been identified and transformation pathways proposed. In contrast, the composition of macromolecular marine organic matter entering the geological organic carbon cycle is still largley unknown. Without this vial information, our understanding of organic matter formation and preservation is severely incomplete. We aim to narrow this marine gap. Hereto, single-source resistant bio- and geomacromolecular fractions from plankton cultures and sediments, fresh and after alteration, obtained by flowcytometry and SPLITT density separation, will be analysed using modern analytical techniques like pyro- and chemolysis, GC/MS, FTIR and NMR analyses. The assessment of the diversity of resistant biopolymers and their transformation through geological time is fundamental to a wide variety of disciplines as it provides insight in, e.g., the biosynthetic evolution of resistant biopolymers, the carbon cycle, organic matter preservation, fossil fuel formation and the rate of the molecular clock.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Persons: Professor Dr. Jürgen Rullkötter; Professor Dr. Helmut Willems