Adjusted C-DEBI Award Description:
Highly reduced and thermally charged venting fluids from the subseafloor mix with surrounding seawater, creating a sharp geochemical gradient which promotes a hub of biological diversity at hydrothermal vent ecosystems. While studies of prokaryotic diversity at hydrothermal vent sites have highlighted the important roles microorganisms play in deep sea carbon cycling and offered a unique window into subseafloor microbial communities, depictions of deep-sea marine ecology and food webs are incomplete without characterization of single-celled microbial eukaryotes (protists). I propose to use culture-independent techniques (tag-sequencing and metatranscriptomics) to provide a thorough understanding of protistan biogeography in and near venting fluids, focusing on the vent fluid-seawater interface. Additionally, these qualitative analyses will be paired with quantitative experiments that measure protistan grazing pressure. Understanding trophic interactions within the protistan community is incredibly important, as these processes form the foundation of deep-sea marine food webs and mediate a significant amount of carbon transferred to higher trophic levels.
C-DEBI project link: https://www.darkenergybiosphere.org/award/probing-subseafloor-microbial-interactions-via-hydrothermal-vent-fluids-a-focus-on-protists/
Funding Source | Award Number |
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NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE) | OCE-0939564 |
Principal Investigator: Sarah K. Hu
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)
Co-Principal Investigator: Julie Huber
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)
Contact: Sarah K. Hu
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)