MICOLOR

Ocean particles are crucial as mediators of the biological carbon pump, which is a relevant mechanism by which the ocean regulates atmospheric CO2 concentrations. These particles are decomposed by microbial communities while in transit to the deep ocean.

Objectives

MICOLOR overall objectives are to advance our understanding of:

• how marine particles are colonized by microbes
• how communities on the particles evolve during sinking
• how particles affect -and are affected by- the surrounding environment including free-living prokaryotes
• and what are the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in particle remineralization.

Expected results

Given the fundamental role of particles as mediators of the biological carbon pump (BCP), and the role of that process in regulating how much carbon the ocean sequesters, the knowledge compiled by MICOLOR will be useful to:

1. understand the genomic and ecological constraints of particle degradation
2. better quantify the magnitude of the biological carbon pump
3. facilitate prediction of ocean carbon sequestration efficiency based on the identity and genomic properties of particle-colonizing microbes.