Microbial Activities: from Single Cells to Biogeochemical Cycles

Marine microbes are the main players in processes like respiration and primary production that are central in the global carbon cycle. They are also essential in most transformations of elements, including nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur that are crucial in sustaining the functioning of the ocean and the whole planet. The EMM Research group members study the biogeochemical impacts of marine microbes, together with the genetic, physiological and ecological factors that affect that impact. Our research targets different biological scales ranging from the planet-wide bulk communities to the single-cell activities of protists, viruses and prokaryotes. We combine the use flow cytometry, advanced epifluorescence microscopy and radiotracer techniques with the molecular approaches needed for the phylogenetic identification of the key organisms, together with genomic and transcriptomic proxies of activities involved in global biogeochemical cycles.