WP 7 leader:   Jack Middelburg   middelburg (at) nioo.knaw.nl    KNAW

Objectives:

• To determine the impact of changing pH on prokaryotes: production and respiration, diversity and gene expression
• To quantify the direct and indirect effects of pH on benthic microbes and nitrogen cycling due to changes in faunal community structure and function

Description of work and role of participants:

T7.1: Study the direct and indirect effects of ocean acidification on prokaryote-mediated carbon flow (production and respiration), prokaryotic diversity (16S rRNA gene based fingerprints and sequencing) and their linkages (LOV, PML). Link toWP8.

T7.2: Study differences in gene expression of prokaryotic assemblages using molecular and metagenomic approaches (pyrosequencing of mRNA/cDNA; subtractive hybridization) and differences in gene expression between treatments (real-time PCR) (PML, LOV). Link to WP5.

T7.3: Study the responses of benthic animals and their bioturbation activity to enhanced CO₂ levels in (benthic) mesocosm experiments their consequences for microbial diversity and benthic nitrogen recycling (sediment-water exchange rates and denitrification) (NIOO, PML). Links to WP6 and WP13.