UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT WILMINGTON
Grant: $515,800 - National Science Foundation - Jun. 1, 2009
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Award Description: Estuaries, connecting the freshwater and marine environment, are among the most dynamic and productive ecosystems on Earth. However, they are under threat from anthropogenic N loading, resulting in various symptoms of eutrophication. The intensity and duration of estuarine eutrophication and the rate of esturaine recovery strongly depend on microbial N removal processes (anaerobuc ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) and dentrification). Dentification has been intensively studied in various estuaries, while ANAMMOX has been intensively studied in various estuaries, while ANAMMOX as a recently discovered N removal pathway is much less studied in estuarine ecosystems. Existing studies indicate that ANAMMOX rates and its contribution to totatl N2 production (ANAMMOX signficance) are system specific and controlled in part by reaction-scale substrate limitations and by environmental paramaters. The investigators will examine the importance of ANAMMOX community structure on their activities along esturaine gradients at the CFRE. They will address the hypothesis that the total abundance of ANAMMOX bacteria will be lineraly correlated to their activities and that members of ANAMMOX communities are influenced differently by environmental parameters present along the estuarine gradients. Thus, this project will address key gaps in our understanding of ANAMMOX ecology by understanding how the community structure of ANAMMOX bacteria influence their activities, and lead to a more complete understanding of estuarine N loss.
Project Description: We conducted a major sampling trip to collect 60 different sediment samples along the Cape Fear River Estuary and finished to measure ANAMMOX and denitrification rates. Students are working on molecular characterization of anammox and denitrifying communities in the sediments. We are in the process of hiring a visiting research assistant professor. Dr. Greg O? Mullan visited our research site and had a project meeting in August.
Jobs Summary: Laboratory Technician (Total jobs reported: 1)
Project Status: Less Than 50% Completed
This award's data was last updated on Jun. 1, 2009. Help expand these official descriptions using the wiki below.
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