Insight into marine bacterial physiology
The EC-funded BASICS project focused on those microorganisms involved in the marine nitorgen and carbon cycles. Project partners set out to investigate the microbial diversity of European coastal areas and subsequently understand the microbial role in the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nitrogen. The aim is to establish a link between diversity and the marine biochemical balance and cycling function. This sort of information gains particular importance in light of the significant environmental challenges facing European seas. The Department of Biology at the University of Bergen developed an innovative method for the study of microbial physiological status for individual bacteria. The new method is based on X-Ray fluorescence and it does not require incubation of bacterial samples. The use of transmission electron microscopy allows the study of the elemental composition of individual microorganisms. The method provides information on the carbon and nitrogen levels in these microorganisms and new insight on the links between nutrient status and growth.
