Microbial processes in the development of coastal plankton blooms

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Project objective

Coastal eutrophication in the South-Southwestern coast of Portugal is developing due to man-induced activities e.g. coastal management, tourism and aquaculture. The extent and intensity of eutrophication is not yet well documented. Marine microbial ecology is still poorly developed in Portugal and as a fundamental science is pursued only at the level of smallscale research projects run by individual scientists or students. To promote research on coastal plankton dynamics and to implement system studies into the established Ph.D. projects, the TMR research program Microbial processes in the development of coastal plankton blooms" was formulated. The program focuses on three areas; 1. Microcosms experiments to study nutrient limitation and the impact of aquaculture on coastal microbial food web, 2. Contribution of marine snow to water column processes in an estuarine and lagoon systems and 3. Microbial processes (denitrification, respiration) in the sediment water interface. The first focus area adds a system aspect and experimental modeling to the Ph.D.-project "Uptake of inorganic nutrients by phytoplankton" by Helena Marques. The second focus area adds a new aspect of aggregate micro environments in the Ph.D.-projects "Carbon fluxes in the microbial loop of the Ria Formosa barrier island - lagoon system" by Ana Barbosa and "Microbiological populations in the Rio Mira estuary" by Margarida Reis. The third focus area adds a new aspects of carbon and nitrogen transformations in the sediment-water interface of the Ria Formosa lagoon into the research proposal by Dr. Helena Galvao. In all of the focus areas new experimental approaches and new methodology is applied. The proposed TMR programme thus promotes microbial ecology research on the sea area where microbial processes have significance to the outcome of man-induced coastal eutrophication. By combining the expertise of the host institute and the applicant, the organisms under study represent the lower part of aquatic food web. The processes studied are those of carbon and nitrogen cycles. "

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• UNIVERSIDADE DO ALGARVE · FAROCoordinatorPortugal
• Not availableCity levelFinland

Links

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