MABROP · Marine bacteria role in phosphorus cycling

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Project objective

One unresolved fundamental question in marine microbial ecology is: what limits the growth of marine bacteria? Bacteria have high P requirements and may become P-limited in marine systems when inorganic nutrients are in low supply. In fact, phosphorus (P) has been demonstrated to be the limiting nutrient of bacterioplankton growth in some coastal and oligotrophic oceans. In the upper zone of the oceans inorganic phosphorus is exhausted and most of the P occurs in the form of dissolved organic phosphorus, which requires the action of phosphatases to be hydrolysed. The regulation of these phosphatases is still unclear and although they are usually induced when the phosphorus concentration is low, some authors suggest that they can also be induced to obtain organic substrates. Additionally, the level of P-starvation of the different components of the bacterial assemblage can vary depending on their different cellular quotas and nutrient acquisition parameters. The objectives of this project are 1) to assess the phosphatase diversity in marine waters and study how the enzymes are regulated (using a substrate-based Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) technique). 2) To address the role of P as a limiting nutrient of the productivity and diversity of marine bacteria (using group-specific approaches, such as RT-PCR techniques). 3) To examine the potential role that phosphatases may play in supplying carbon or phosphorus for the different components of the bacterial assemblage, which will be addressed using MICROFISH. Additionally, this project will provide insight to another unresolved question in microbial ecology, which is whether heterotrophic bacteria are net sinks or sources for inorganic nutrients. During the outgoing phase, the project will allow the applicant to learn state of the art molecular techniques and other novel techniques to answer questions of ecological importance that will be applied in the return phase in Europe.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MADRIDCoordinatorSpain
• RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY-INSTITUTE OF MARINE AND COASTAL SCIENCES · NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEYCountry levelUnited States

Links

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