Linking the influence of infochemicals and food quality to plankton dynamics

了解信息化学物质在浮游生物中的作用是深入了解这一复杂生态系统功能的关键。因此，需要创新的方法来研究浮游植物和周围海水中的化学和生物化学波动。在这个项目中，我们建议开发和应用新的方法，同时监测信息化学品和浮游植物群落样品的食物质量决定因素。因此，我们打算进一步优化的方法，使代谢分析的单一浮游植物物种在不同的培养条件下，简单的浮游生物组合，和天然浮游生物样品。因此，我们希望阐明化感作用的相互作用和信号的影响，从喂养食草动物。这将使我们能够监测浮游生物中的原位化学环境。这些信息将与生态参数直接联系起来，包括藻类或食草动物的健康和繁殖。使用这种方法，我们的目标是深入了解波动的化学参数在该领域的影响，而不会对某些预先选定的化合物类别的偏见。

Understanding the role of infochemicals in the plankton is a key for an in-depth insight into the functioning of this complex ecosystem. Therefore, innovative approaches are needed that allow studying chemical and biochemical fluctuations in phytoplankton and the surrounding seawater. Within this project we propose to develop and apply new approaches for the simultaneous monitoring of infochemicals and factors determining food quality of phytoplankton community samples. Therefore we intend to further optimize methods that allow metabolic profiling of single phytoplankton species under different culture conditions, of simple plankton assemblages, and of natural plankton samples. Thereby we want to elucidate allelopathic interactions and the influence of signals from feeding herbivores. This will allow us to monitor the in situ chemical environment in the plankton. This information will be directly linked to ecological parameters, including algal or herbivore fitness and reproduction. Using this approach we aim to get insight into the effect of fluctuating chemical parameters in the field without the bias on certain pre-selected compound classes.