Large Scale Sequencing to Unravel Carbon Cycling in the Elbe estuary (Micro)biota

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Estuaries cover more than one fifth of the global terrestrial surfaces and are key drives in global carbon fixation. They are characterized by high temporal dynamics due to variable external forcing (e.g. freshwater discharge, ocean currents, tidal energy) and by pronounced spatial gradients in, e.g., salinity, hydrodynamics, and oxygen availability (estuarine gradients). Along estuarine gradients, ecosystems of intertidal areas (vegetated tidal marshes, intertidal flats with microphytobenthos communities) and subtidal channels (benthic and pelagic ecosystems) are tightly linked and produce, transport and process large amounts of terrestrial and aquatic organic matter. Key processes governing estuarine C cycling are still poorly understood, although recent research has exemplified the potential high relevance of plant- and phytoplankton-microbe interactions and herbivory as controls of C fluxes in tidal marshes and estuarine channels. The proposal together with the RTG 2530 aims to systematically analyze biota-mediated effects on estuarine C cycling considering estuarine gradients and dynamics, linkages among estuarine ecosystems, and effects of global change. Through sequencing of samples along the Elbe Estuary we will describe the dominant microorganisms on a phylum and subphylum level for phytoplankton, bacteria, archaea and fungi (e.g., in soil, water, rhizosphere, fecal samples). We will decipher the metabolic pathways actively involved in carbon cycling in water, soils, sediments and estuarine plant rhizospheres. We will see the impact of salinity gradient on the fecal microbiota of small mammals and the gill microbiome of fish. We will also describe the broad transcriptomic stress status of the main fish species in the Elbe estuary.