Characterization of autotrophic microbial communities in the anoxic water layer of the Black Sea

The Black Sea is the world’s largest anoxic basin and is therefore a useful model for both modern and ancient anoxic environments. Stratified water bodies prone to anoxia support multiple layers of biological production. A characterization of the autotrophic microbial community in the deep anoxic water layer of the Black Sea was accomplished using experiments with 13C-bicarbonate. Subsequent investigations of uptake of the added label into microbial biomarkers will give insights into the actively carbon fixing microbial community in this system.

Funding: MARUM postdoctoral Fellowship
Mentor: Kai-Uwe Hinrichs
Collaboration: Frauke Schmidt, MARUM, Bremen