Marco Basili
Research Fellow
Ancona
Studies on the effects of sea ice melting processes on trophic state in Antarctic ecosystems have focused on phytoplankton and the effects on the food webs, from krill to penguins, while the influence on the microbial food web (viruses, prokaryotes and unicellular eukaryotes), which drives biogeochemical cycles and energy flows, have been largely ignored. The project will assess the consequences of ice melting on the diversity and functioning of the microbial food web in the pelagic ecosystem of the Terranova Bay coastal area (Ross Sea). The objectives are: (i) To investigate temporal variations in microbial biodiversity; (ii) To study the relationships between diversity and function; (iii) Assess the role of viral impact on biodiversity and biogeochemical cycles; (iv) identify environmental drivers that influence planktonic diversity and function; (v) shed light on interactions within planktonic trophic networks, and their response to ice melt. META-ICE-ROSS, coordinated by IRBIM CNR and conducted in collaboration with research groups from OGS, SZN and Marche Polytechnic University, will use innovative high-throughput sequencing methodologies of microbial DNA (metagenomics). The sampling strategy is based on the collection of water samples from early November to mid-January under pack ice, concurrently with the measurement of hydrological variables, along a transect of stations characterized by different thermohaline conditions. The innovative nature of META-ICE-ROSS will provide insight into the role of microbial communities, and their interactions, in the functioning of Antarctic coastal ecosystems, useful in understanding the consequences of climate change, and will provide information on the functioning of the pelagic food web and C utilization processes in the Ross Sea, useful in the context of the Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area and its management and monitoring plan.
Referent:
Programme: PNRA
Web Site: http://metaiceross.irbim.cnr.it/
Duration: September 7, 2020 - September 6, 2023
Budget: 110.800,00 €
Budget IRBIM: 59.100,00 €
Areas of Research:
Research Fellow
Ancona
Researcher
Ancona
Researcher
Ancona
Director of Research
Ancona
Researcher
Ancona
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Antonietta Specchiulli
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