Objective The overall objectives of the project are: - To define the structure of biological communities at oxic-anoxic interfaces in relation to the geochemical gradients and to identify the organisms involved in the major biogeochemical transformations; - To quantify the chemolithotrophic production and secondary production at interfaces and to understand the physiological and structural adaptations to enable organisms to live in these habitats. Chemical and biological processes will be studied over a range of interface types including shallow-water sulphidic hydrothermal springs, cold methane seeps, the water column and intertidal sediments. The sites have been chosen for their accessibility for fine-scale studies. Chemical gradients will be examined using micro-scale techniques such as submersible microelectrodes, for pH, oxygen and sulphide, and sensitive HPLC techniques, for other sulphur species and organic compounds. The structure and function of bacterial populations in mats will be studied. Chemoautolithotrophic production will be quantified using direct carbon fixation rates as well as being estimated from diffusion gradients. The growth of heterotrophic bacteria, living on the products of the autotrophs and mineralizing biomass, will be related to the environmental conditions at the interface. Since many bacterial interactions are difficult to study in situ, they will be examined in mixed cultures maintained in chemostats. Distribution patterns of eukaryotes at interfaces and the production of relevant species will be determined. Physiological, genetic and ultrastructural analyses will show how animals adapt to conditions in the boundary. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriologynatural scienceschemical sciencesorganic chemistryaliphatic compoundsagricultural sciencesagricultural biotechnologybiomass Programme(s) FP3-MAST 2 - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of marine science and technology, 1990-1994 Topic(s) 0103 - Interface and boundary processes Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom Address Citadel hill PL1 2PB Plymouth United Kingdom See on map EU contribution € 0,00 Participants (6) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Christian-Albrechts Universität Kiel Germany EU contribution € 0,00 Address Olshausenstraße 40 24118 Kiel See on map INSTITUTE OF MARINE BIOLOGY OF CRETE Greece EU contribution € 0,00 Address Port of heraklion 71003 Poros irakleiou kritis See on map UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PISA Italy EU contribution € 0,00 Address Via alessandro volta 6 56126 Pisa See on map UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN Denmark EU contribution € 0,00 Address 5,strandpromenaden 5 3000 Helsingoer See on map UNIVERSITY OF GRONINGEN Netherlands EU contribution € 0,00 Address 30,kerklaan 30 9751 NN Haren gn See on map UNIVERSITY OF HAMBURG Germany EU contribution € 0,00 Address Martin-luther-king-platz 3 20146 Hamburg See on map
