Project description
How subsurface microbes affect the global carbon cycle
Earth’s subsurface remains largely uncharted territory for biogeochemistry and microbial ecology despite containing the vast majority of carbon. While surface carbon fixation has been extensively studied, subsurface carbon fixation remains poorly understood. Recent studies have begun to shed light on subsurface carbon-fixing organisms but are isolated and do not accurately describe the geoenvironmental contexts that influence these metabolisms. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SUBCARB project aims to enhance understanding of how subsurface conditions influence the global carbon cycle. Researchers will combine metagenomic and metaproteomic with controlled culturing experiments to explore environmental factors and validate metabolic versatility. Integrating these results with stable isotope analysis should help build a model to predict carbon fixation fluxes.
Objective
Despite containing the vast majority of carbon on the planet, the Earth’s subsurface represents a mostly uncharacterized frontier for biogeochemistry and microbial ecology. While carbon fixation at the Earth’s surface has been drawing a lot of attention for decades, subsurface carbon fixation remains poorly understood. Yet, metabolically, it engages a rich diversity of non canonical pathways, contrasting to surface carbon fixation dominated by the canonical Calvin cycle. Also, its contribution to the global carbon cycle, though long overlooked, is now garnering increased attention. In recent years, several studies aiming to characterise the diversity of carbon-fixing organisms within the subsurface have emerged. However, these studies are isolated and do not accurately describe the dependence of these metabolisms on the geoenvironmental context. I propose here to provide a blueprint of subsurface carbon fixation on Earth. In a top-down approach, I will systematically sample various subsurface environments for metagenomic and metaproteomic analysis of carbon fixing metabolisms, in search of the main environmental factors determining the carbon fixation strategy used. In parallel to this, I will undertake a bottom-up experimental approach to explore and confirm this metabolic versatility in response to changing environments, through controlled culturing experiments. Finally, I will integrate the acquired results with stable isotope analysis to build a metabolic model, aiming to comprehensively predict carbon fixation fluxes in function of the geoenvironmental context. The proposed holistic approach will increase our understanding of the role of subsurface microbial metabolisms in global carbon cycling.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy planetary sciences planets
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences geochemistry biogeochemistry
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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80138 Napoli
Italy
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