Investigating which phytoplankton species that potentially can survive long-term dormancy in marine sediments
This is a suggestion for a Degree Project for Bachelor's and Master's levels at the Department of Marine Sciences. Degree projects at the Department of Marine Sciences are done independently and must be written and assessed individually.
Subject: Marine Biology
Level: BSc 15hp or MSc 30-60 hp (finishing before December 2025)
Start date: As soon as possible (November 2024)
Supervisor: Rickard Stenow/Helle Ploug
Background
Marine diatoms are an important primary producer responsible for ~20% of global primary production. These diatoms can enter a resting stage during adverse conditions in which they can survive decades up to millennia dormant in dark and anoxic sediments.
Either they form resting cells which are similar to vegetative cells or they from resting spores which have a different “shell” a.k.a. frustule and are more similar to a seed.
Project Description
Very little is known about these resting stages, so we want to investigate what diatom species form what kind of resting stage.
In order to do this, we will take vegetative diatoms from our continues cultures, put them in conditions that would induce this dormancy.
Then you would observe/image them using a microscope in order to determine what kind or resting stage they formed.
Finally we will wake them up again and you will track how/if they wake again by measuring chlorophyll over multiple days.
Goals and aims
The overarching goal of the project is to learn more about diatom resting stages and who form what kind of resting stage.
The aim of the project is to determine if different species of diatoms form resting stages by inducing the resting stage in cells kept in the algal bank GUMACC. Then monitor if they regerminate using microscopy and plate readers that measure chlorophyll.
We are also open to investigating this in other groups of phytoplankton than diatoms.
Contact
Email: rickard.stenow@gu.se