Cultivation and quantification of microorganisms in Baltic Sea deep sediments in response to glacial and interglacial cycles (IODP Exp. 347)

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Axel Schippers
• Subject Area: Palaeontology ; Microbial Ecology and Applied Microbiology
• Term: from 2014 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 261087148

IODP Expedition 347, Baltic Sea Basin Paleoenvironment, carried out in September-October 2013 addresses Deep biosphere responses to glacial interglacial cycles as one of four main research themes. This DFG project, as part of the post-cruise research, shall test the hypothesis that enriched microbial cultures and the quantitative microbial community composition in Baltic Sea deeply buried marine sediments vary between (1) limnic, brackish, and marine conditions, (2) oxic and suboxic/anoxic conditions, (3) low and temperate temperature, or (4) low and high organic sedimentation, reflected in the different sediment core samples. The molecular quantitative techniques real-time PCR (qPCR) and catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridisation (CARD - FISH) as well as cultivation and stable isotope-probing shall be used to reveal the different microbial communities and to isolate and describe novel microorganisms.

• DFG Programme: Infrastructure Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 527: Bereich Infrastruktur - "International Ocean Discovery Program" (IODP)
• International Connection: Denmark, United Kingdom, USA
• Participating Persons: Professor Dr. Bo Barker Jørgensen; Professorin Dr. Karen G. Lloyd; Dr. Gordon Webster