NITRODEOX · Microbial network controls on N and N2O cycling in an deoxygenating ocean
Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2023-05-01 → 2026-04-30
- EU contribution
- €261,381
- Participants
- 2
- Scheme
- HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Microbial network controls on N and N2O cycling in an deoxygenating ocean
The decline in oxygen content (deoxygenation) in the ocean is one of the major features of global change and affects biological processes and the biogeochemical cycling of key elements such as nitrogen (N). Oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) are intensifying and expanding their distribution, and many coastal waters such as estuaries and enclosed seas are experiencing seasonal anoxia events. OMZs and coastal waters are ecosystems with global relevance for N processing and hot spots for nitrous oxide (N2O) cycling. N2O is a major ozone-depleting substance and a potent greenhouse gas, and its microbial production depends on N and oxygen availability. So far, many studies have addressed the importance of environmental drivers in N and N2O cycling. However, they are incomplete predictors of ecosystem functioning. Contrarily, little attention has been paid to biotic community associations, despite they can exert selective pressure on marine microbes and affect ecosystem functioning. NITRODEOX aims to investigate the changes in microbial communities caused by ocean deoxygenation, and to assess how these changes affect N cycling and N2O production. The project aims to: SO1. To determine the changes in the taxonomic and functional diversity of microbial communities due to marine deoxygenation, with special emphasis on N-processing microorganisms SO2. To quantify the rate of nitrification, N loss, and N2O production by nitrification and denitrification under changing oxygen conditions SO3. To integrate taxonomical/functional composition results with N processing rates, and environmental variables to obtain taxonomical/functional association networks, respectively. These networks will be analysed with special emphasis on N-related microorganisms. SO4. To identify key species and functions in networks affecting N cycling during deoxygenation, and construct metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) to investigate their full metabolic potential. SO5. Model long-term changes in microbial networks and N cycling in OMZs and coastal waters using the global change scenarios for oxygen declining in the ocean
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
The decline in oxygen content (deoxygenation) in the ocean is one of the major features of global change, and affects biological processes and the biogeochemical cycling of key elements such as nitrogen (N). Oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) are intensifying and expanding their distribution, and many coastal waters such as estuaries and enclosed seas are experiencing seasonal anoxia events. OMZs and coastal waters are ecosystems with global relevance for N processing and hot spots for nitrous oxide (N2O) cycling. N2O is a major ozone-depleting substance and a potent greenhouse gas, and its microbial production depends on N and oxygen availability. So far, many studies have addressed the importance of environmental drivers in N and N2O cycling. However they are incomplete predictors of ecosystem functioning. Contrarily, little attention has been paid to biotic community associations, despite they can exert selective pressure on marine microbes and affect ecosystem functioning. NITRODEOX aims to investigate the changes in microbial communities caused by ocean deoxygenation, and to assess how these changes affect N cycling and N2O production. The applicant will develop a novel and interdisciplinary approach combining the quantification of N transformation rates using 15N labeling incubations, with the latest advances in bioinformatics analysis of deep metagenomic sequencing, and network inference methods in order to connect microbial community structure with ecosystem functioning. This project will cover the three major oxygen minimum zones, and two coastal sites (the Chesapeake Bay, and the Mar Menor coastal lagoon), and builds on the advantage of already having an exceptional collection of samples from past cruises. NITRODEOX represents a novel step to identify key taxa and reveal hidden microbial community controls on N and N2O cycling, which is crucial in view of the expansion and intensification of OMZs, and the increasing human impact on coastal waters.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MadridCoordinatorSpain
- TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY · Princeton, NjUnited States
Links
- View on CORDIS
- DOI: 10.3030/101066750
- https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/documents/downloadPublic?documentIds=080166e5022abc0e&appId=PPGMS
Data: CORDIS, © European Union