Microbiome Productivity: investigating the photophysiology and productivity of microalgal biomes in coralline algal habitats

该项目利用了英国合作伙伴在宏观和微藻分类学、生态学和生理学方面的专业知识，与法国合作伙伴就单细胞分析样品进行了新颖的合作，使用高光谱成像和高分辨率荧光相结合。主题将是生物工程珊瑚巨藻与这些巨藻叶片内相关的外生和内生微藻生物群系的结合。这是在英国合作伙伴监督下的NERC英国海洋酸化研究计划学生项目的基础上进行的一项增值调查。珊瑚藻是一种钙化生物，它设计了一个三维的栖息地，由许多内源性和外生生物殖民。这个群落的很大一部分由光合微藻组成。这些都是重要的生物群系，但在群落结构的基础知识、微藻和巨藻的功能相关性或相互作用方面却知之甚少。因此，该项目旨在建立英国和法国合作伙伴之间的长期合作关系，研究生物群落的两种光合成分，包括群落结构、初级生产力和功能性光生理。PI和法国合作伙伴利用海草（Zostera物种）获得的初步试点数据表明，配对的高光谱成像和高分辨率荧光成像产生的光谱特征可以识别生长在Zostera上的附生群落的主要分类群。进一步分析表明，该数据与高分辨率荧光相结合，可以分析单个单细胞附生植物以及大藻叶的单个节段（属间节）的初级生产力、光合色素和功能光生理（例如下调、光驯化等）。如果这被证明是正确的，那么这些方法的新颖配对将提供关于大型藻类、微藻类以及两者之间相互作用的光生理和生产力的超精细数据。这将极大地扩展我们对这些重要群落的宏观和微观组成部分的功能的理解，从而使我们在研究这些重要沿海生物研究中应用的影响（如酸化和光诱导应激源，或强化二氧化碳处理）时，能够更明智地解释光生理数据。

This project utilises the expertise of the UK partners regarding macro and microalgal taxonomy, ecology and physiology, in a novel collaboration with the French partners regarding single cell analysis of samples using the combination of Hyperspectral Imaging and high resolution fluorescence. The subject matter will be the combination of the bioengineer Coralline macroalgae and the epi and endo biotic microalgal biome associated within the fronds of these macroalgae. This is a value added investigation expanding upon a NERC UK Ocean Acidification research Programme studentship project supervised by the UK partners. Coralline macroalgae are calcifying organisms that engineer a 3-dimensional habitat colonised by many endobiotic and epibiotic organisms. A large part of this community is comprised of photosynthetic microalgae. These are important biomes, yet are extremely poorly understood with regard to basic knowledge of community structure, or the functional relevance or interaction of the microalgae and the macroalgae. This project therefore aims to establish a long term collaboration between the UK and French partners, investigating the two photosynthetic components of the biome with regard to community structure, primary productivity and functional photophysiology. Initial pilot data obtained by the PI and the French partners using seagrass (Zostera species) has indicated that paired hyperspectral imaging and high resolution fluorescence imaging produces spectral signatures that can identify the major taxa dominating the epiphytic community growing on the Zostera. Further analysis suggests that this data, paired with high resolution fluorescence may enable analysis of primary productivity, photosynthetic pigments and functional photophysiology (e.g. down regulation, photoacclimation etc.) of individual single cell epiphytes as well as individual segments (intergenicula) of the macroalgal frond. If this proves correct, then the novel pairing of these methods will provide ultra-fine scale data on the photophysiology and productivity of the macroalgae, the microalgae and the interaction between the two. This will greatly expand our understanding of the function of the macro and micro components of these important communities and hence enable a far more informed interpretation of photophysiological data when investigating impacts, such as acidification and light induced stressors, or enhanced carbon dioxide treatments, applied in studies of these important coastal organisms.