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Content archived on 2024-05-28

Autotrophic-Heterotrophic Interactions in Cyanobacterial Aggregates

Objective

Large, filamentous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria (Trichodesmium spp., Nodularia spumigena and Aphanizomenon spp.) play an important role for primary production, input of nitrogen, and the microbial food webs in the ocean, in brackish waters (e.g. the Baltic Sea) and in lakes. Gas vesicles within filaments make these cyanobacteria positively buoyant to reach high light intensities in surface waters where they cover the energy needed for nitrogen fixation through photosynthesis. These large cyanobacteria create their own microenvironment with steep gradients of gases and nutrients at the sea surface. Hence, their growth conditions are significantly different to those of the bulk water. Direct measurements of small-scale physical-chemical characteristics and biogeochemical processes associated with large, filamentous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria are hence crucial to understand the role that these cyanobacteria have on a large scale in respect to their overall input of carbon and nitrogen from the atmosphere into aquatic systems. The present project aims at a detailed understanding of the carbon and nitrogen fluxes in aggregates of large, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria and their associated heterotrophic community.

Call for proposal

FP7-PEOPLE-2007-2-1-IEF
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Coordinator

STOCKHOLMS UNIVERSITET
EU contribution
€ 241 538,23
Address
UNIVERSITETSVAGEN 10
10691 Stockholm
Sweden

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Region
Östra Sverige Stockholm Stockholms län
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Birgitta Bergman (Prof.)
Links
Total cost
No data