Intracellular DOM: Fate and flux at the microbial nodes of C and N cycles in the ocean, with a focus on the primary producer Prochlorococcus

University Of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville TN

Investigators

Abstract

Intellectual Merit: Microbes are key components of the marine particulate organic matter pool; they serve as nodes of inter-conversion between inorganic and organic materials, and between dissolved and particulate organic matter. While bulk rates of primary and secondary production have been reported, the oceanographic community currently lacks an understanding of the transformative metabolic processes that occur within microbial cells and ultimately dictate their roles in carbon and nitrogen cycling. This study will bring the power of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based metabolomics and transcriptomics to bear on the fate and flux of carbon and nitrogen within the unicellular marine cyanobacterium, Prochlorococcus. This organism is the most abundant photosynthetic marine phytoplankter, accounting for >50% of primary production in the open ocean. This study will therefore improve understanding of carbon and nitrogen cycling in the open ocean and provide metabolomics and transcriptomics data on Prochlorococcus physiology. Broader Impacts: With regard to the broader impacts of this study, graduate and undergraduate students will be given the opportunity to participate in this multidisciplinary project. Beyond these educational activities, outreach to P-12 school audiences as well as underrepresented and disadvantaged groups will be conducted by hosting students in the laboratory, giving public seminars, and further developing educational supplements.