Project description
Bacterial, biochemical processes as climate indicators
The ocean floor accumulates organic and inorganic material primarily from marine organism remains, terrestrial sediments, and volcanic debris. Collectively known as marine sediment, it plays a crucial role in the biological and ecological processes of marine environments. Sediment oxygen consumption (SOC) is a key indicator of the degradation and preservation of organic material within marine sediments. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SOCGDGT project aims to develop a new, lipid-based method for measuring SOC. The proposed method relies on the modification of bacterial membrane lipids, specifically branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers, by benthic marine bacteria in response to environmental conditions. In addition to serving as a new SOC measurement tool, this method will improve climate reconstructions.
Objective
"Marine sediments serve as Earth's primary repository for organic matter, playing a pivotal role in the global carbon and oxygen cycles. Sediment oxygen consumption (SOC) is a key metric for assessing the degradation and preservation of sedimentary organic matter and for gauging the activity levels of benthic communities. However, current methods for measuring SOC face limitations, notably their reliance on specialized, costly instrumentation and their lack of applicability in geological contexts. Here, we propose a novel, lipid-based approach for quantifying SOC using branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs). These bacterial membrane lipids have been extensively used in paleoclimate reconstructions. Recent advances highlight the widespread production of brGDGTs by benthic marine bacteria and the significant role of oxygen in brGDGT production and distribution. Our preliminary data indicate strong correlations between brGDGTs and SOC, hinting at a potential tool for assessing SOC in both modern and paleo marine sediments. To thoroughly address the scientific question, ""How can brGDGTs be used to assess modern and paleo SOC?"" this proposal sets forth to: 1) establish a robust, quantitative proxy for SOC by rigorously investigating the linkage between brGDGTs and SOC, utilizing multidisciplinary methodologies encompassing biomarker lipids, oxygen microprofiles, microbial communities, and geochemical analyses in geographically diverse sediments; 2) evaluate the proxy’s effectiveness and limitations through laboratory incubations; and 3) assess the proxy’s applicability for paleo SOC reconstructions. This research will broaden our knowledge of the ecophysiological behaviours of marine brGDGT-producing bacteria, enhance the precision of brGDGT applications in paleoclimate reconstructions, and pioneer an innovative molecular proxy for SOC quantification across diverse spatiotemporal scales."
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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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 microbiology bacteriology
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology microbiomes
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules lipids
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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)
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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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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.
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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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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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5230 Odense M
Denmark
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