Project Details
Projekt
Geobiological coupling between hydrothermal vent fluids and symbiotic primary producers at spreading axes
Applicant
Professorin Dr. Nicole Dubilier
Subject Area
Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
Term
from 2003 to 2011
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5415397
One of the key interdisciplinary research goals in the DFG Priority Program "RIDGE" is to study the interactions between hydrothermal and biological processes. The proposed study will contribute directly to this goal by investigating the transfer of geochemical energy to one of the major groups of primary producers at hydrothermal vents on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, endosymbiotic bacteria of bivalve hosts. Molecular biological methods and stable isotope analyses will be used to study the symbioses of sulfide oxidizing bacteria in vesicomyid and thyasirid clams, as well as the dual symbioses of sulfide- and methane-oxidizing bacteria in mytilid mussels. In close collaboration with geologists and geochemists, we will investigate the influence of different geological settings and gradients in vent fluids on symbiotic diversity, biomass, and activity and examine the trohpic interactions between energy sources, symbionts, and hosts. The proposed research will contribute to a better understanding of the coupling between geological and biological processes at slow-spreading ridge systems.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
