Project description
Role of microbes and sponges in microbialisation of reefs
Nutrient pollution and overfishing represent a major threat for coral reefs as they facilitate community shifts from reef-building corals to algae, increasing production of algal-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM). Since DOM cannot be consumed by most reef animals, it is transformed by microbes and sponges into particles and re-enters the food web. These recycling processes termed ‘microbial and sponge loops’ are considered as key ecosystem adaptations for reefs. However, increased algal-DOM and sponges on degraded reefs have been associated with the ‘microbialisation of reefs’. The EU-funded DDMS project intends to define whether planktonic microbes and sponges compete over DOM and describe the composition of different DOM types in past, present and future projection of available DOM.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringwaste managementwaste treatment processesrecycling
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencespollution
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF-GF - Global FellowshipsCoordinator
1012WX Amsterdam
Netherlands
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Partners (1)
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
96822-2234 Honolulu Hi
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