Project description DEENESFRITPL Studying microbial biodegradation and life in oil Current estimations suggest that microbial biodegradation plays a significant role in influencing the behaviour of oil, particularly during the transition from oil to water in reservoirs. The ERC-funded EcOILogy project has discovered the presence of microorganisms within tiny water droplets, which are believed to be the primary sites where oil biodegradation takes place. This groundbreaking concept is the focus of the project, which aims to investigate its occurrence in degraded oil and assess its impact on the overall degradation process. To achieve these objectives, the project will develop a reverse stable isotope technique that focuses on quantifying the subtle microbial activities involved. This will enable researchers to gain insights into the minute processes occurring during oil biodegradation. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Microbial biodegradation is a key factor influencing the quality of oil and, according to current concepts, takes place mostly at the continuous oil-water transition zone in oil reservoirs. I recently discovered microorganisms in minuscule water droplets (1-3 µl) entrapped in oil from a natural oil seep. In EcOILogy, I propose that biodegradation of oil resources takes place in such minuscule water droplets dispersed in the oil phase which is a shift of paradigm and a new conceptional view for environmental science, -life in oil-. EcOILogy aims to explore this new world investigating the generic principles of life in oil. I will study if such droplets are a common phenomenon in degraded oil resources and how significant the respective degradation activities are. To this end, I will develop reverse stable isotope labelling as a novel method for quantifying minute microbial activities (WP 1). The droplets provide a unique test system of micro-ecosystem, all experiencing identical boundary conditions in the oil with no dispersion of microorganisms between the isolated droplets. I will study how microbial communities for oil degradation assemble in the droplets allowing for unprecedented testing of ecological theory including a new bimodal hypothesis of community assembly. To tackle the big challenge of metabolic traits in systems ecology, I will make use of metagenomics, single cell sequencing, and high resolution metabolomics to assess the functions in single water droplets (WP 2). Finally, I will study how microorganisms adapt to this extreme environment under saturated hydrocarbon concentrations by isolation and comparative genome analysis of strains and study the role of different organisms in the droplets by Raman-CLSM (WP 3). Thus, EcOilogy opens new horizons for microbial degradation of our most important energy resources with far-reaching implications for fundamental, interdisciplinary understanding of ecological processes, bioremediation, and oil exploratio Fields of science natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencesnatural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryhydrocarbonsnatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsmicroscopyconfocal microscopynatural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologynatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsspectroscopy Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-ADG-2014 - ERC Advanced Grant Call for proposal ERC-2014-ADG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-ADG - Advanced Grant Host institution UNIVERSITAET DUISBURG-ESSEN Net EU contribution € 2 549 250,00 Address UNIVERSITATSSTRASSE 2 45141 Essen Germany See on map Region Nordrhein-Westfalen Düsseldorf Essen, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 2 549 250,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all UNIVERSITAET DUISBURG-ESSEN Germany Net EU contribution € 2 549 250,00 Address UNIVERSITATSSTRASSE 2 45141 Essen See on map Region Nordrhein-Westfalen Düsseldorf Essen, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 2 549 250,00
