Acronym NA
Category
Marine Biotechnology
Title Microbial diversity and its role in the trophic chain of benthic animals in the Condor seamount (NE Atlantic) Programme National Programme
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National Coordinator Teresa Amaro Coordinator email NA
Coordinator institution
UAC - University of the Azores (Portugal)
Institutions involved
CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (Portugal) ,
IMAR - Institute of Marine Research, "Centro Interdisciplinar de Coimbra" (Portugal) ,
Start year 2010 End year 2012 Funding (€) € 197,880 Website https://www.cesam-la.pt/projetos/diversidade-microbiana-e-a-sua-funcao-na-cadeia-trofica-dos-animais-bentonicos-no-monte-submarino-condor-atlantico-do-ne/ Summary "The main objective of this project is to study microbial communities and their function in the organic matter cycle in the trophic chain of benthic animals in seamounts. To this end, a multidisciplinary study will be carried out for the entire ecosystem, in which we will use techniques ranging from molecular biology to biochemistry.
Seamounts are cone-shaped elevations of the ocean floor and are generally isolated. Recent research has shown that these ecosystems are rich in marine life and attract schools of commercially important fish. According to their characteristics, seamounts interact with ocean currents, influencing eddie formation, turbulence, and up- and down-welling. Supposedly, these phenomena influence retention, increased primary and secondary production, sedimentation rates, and the accumulation of organic matter on the ocean floor. In addition, they are responsible for biodiversity and increased biomass on top of seamounts and surrounding sites. Microorganisms, due to the remineralization and enrichment of debris on the ocean floor, are known for their influence on the quantity and quality of food available to benthic consumers and, consequently, on its biomass and biodiversity. The discovery of high metabolic activities and specific functional characteristics in prokaryotic organisms allowed us to conclude that they play the main role in seabed trophic chains, C and nutrient cycle and in the rest of the functioning of deep ocean ecosystems. Further studies have suggested that mycoeukaryotics and viruses also play important roles in the C cycle of the deep and coastal oceans. In addition, they are also important in biogeochemical processes and control the total production of prokaryotic organisms and, in the case of osmoheterotrophic protists, degrade refractory organic matter. However, due to the complexity of seamounts and their inaccessibility, the associated microbial communities and their role in the transmission of C to higher food chains remain unknown. The main objectives of this project are to investigate: i) the effects of Condor seamounts on the benthic microbial community (viruses, prokaryotes and protozoa); (ii) its function; iii) the contribution of the microbial loop to the food chains. The Condor seamounts (Azores, NE Atlantic) are the main objective of the CONDOR project (Observatory for long-term study and monitoring of Azorean seamount ecosystems-PT0040) recently approved and co-financed by the EEA Grants Financial Mechanism-Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Therefore, this project will benefit not only from the oceanographic campaigns already planned for the previously mentioned project, but also from the available instruments. In addition, the technical knowledge of the groups collaborating with this project will ensure the fulfilment of the activities proposed in the objectives. The assessment of the effects of seamounts on the amount of organic matter and the associated microbial component will be done by collecting sediment samples at the edges, top and bottom of seamounts, as well as in the sediments around them. The diversity and abundance of microbial communities will be determined using fingerprinting, DNA hybridization and cloning techniques. Functional parameters will include microbial biomass estimates, analyses of available food sources (biochemical composition of sediments), organic matter turnover rates and measurements estimated through incorporation experiments (3H,14C). To accompany the passage From the energy to the highest levels of the food chain, half-megabenthic organisms will be sampled based on their importance and abundance. Carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses will be used to access their diets. It is hoped that the results of this project will provide information about the nutrient cycle and benthic processes that occur in seamounts. These results, integrated with biological and oceanographic data collected in the CONDOR project, will provide a unique opportunity to model seamounts and predict the resilience of seamounts in the face of present and future climate change. An understanding of how the ecosystem works in seamounts will aid in the realization of a sustainable conservation plan. In addition, the isolation of microbial chains will potentially contribute to the discovery of bioactive compounds (e.g. ω-3 fatty acid PUFA) with great biotechnological interest."
Keywords
Genetic;
Food web;
Benthic communities;
Bioprospecting;
Engineering;
Biology;
Bioactive compounds;
Bioproduct;
Bacteria;
Genomic sequencing;
Marine Region
38
Portuguese Waters (27.IXa,27.IXb)
1
Marine Region Map
