Physiology and ecology of Fe and Cu in marine phytoplankton

海洋浮游植物，单细胞藻类，通过将大气中的二氧化碳（CO2）固定为有机碳，其中很大一部分被输送到深海，在全球碳循环中发挥着关键作用，因此在气候中发挥着关键作用。然而，由于世界上30%的海洋铁供应不足，浮游植物的生长受到限制，今天海洋生物吸收大气二氧化碳的能力比上一个冰河期要低。为了提高我们对碳循环的认识，研究微量金属在这些铁限制区域的海洋生产力和生态中的作用是必要的。实验室和实地研究将阐明海洋浮游植物中微量金属的代谢和运输。我们希望对海洋浮游植物如何在极端缺铁条件下生存，以及单个金属（如Fe， Cu, Cd）如何协同或拮抗影响海洋初级生产力和浮游植物物种组合组成提供新的见解。

Marine phytoplankton, unicellular algae, play a critical role in the global carbon cycle, hence climate, by fixing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) to organic carbon, a large portion of which is transported to the deep ocean. However, the ocean's capacity to biologically drawdown atmospheric CO2 today is lower than during the last ice-ages, as phytoplankton growth is limited by inadequate Fe supply in 30% of the world ocean. To improve our understanding of the carbon cycle, it is imperative to investigate the role of trace metals in controlling marine productivity and ecology in these Fe-limited regions. Laboratory and field studies will elucidate trace metal metabolism and transport in marine phytoplankton. We hope to provide new insights into how marine phytoplankton subsist under conditions of extreme iron deficiency and how individual metals (e.g. Fe, Cu, Cd) may act synergistically and antagonistically to affect oceanic primary productivity and phytoplankton species assemblage composition.