Departments and Groups

Department

Microbiology

Department

Molecular Ecology

Marine Geochemistry

Microbial Fitness

Marine Isotope Geochemistry

HGF MPG joint research group for deep sea ecology and technology
Microbial Habitat Group/ Microbial Habitat

Department of Biogeochemistry

Head of department and of Biogeochemistry Group:

Biogeochemistry Group

Head of Group

As of October 2011 the transfer of directorship from Bo Barker Jørgensen to Dr. Marcel Kuypers is complete. The former separate entities of the Biogeochemistry, Mathematical Modeling and Nutrient Groups have completely merged together into one ‘Biogeochemistry Group’. Research in the newly merged Biogeochemistry Group continues to focus on microbiological and geochemical processes that control nutrient and element cycling in the marine environment. Researchers use a combination of newly developed geochemical, microbiological and molecular techniques to study the environmental regulation of these processes, and their effects on the global biogeochemical cycles.

Microsensor Group

Head of Group:

High-resolution studies of chemical microenvironments and metabolic processes by microsensors
-Development of 1 and 2D microsensing systems (electrochemical and fiber-optical microsensors and planar optodes.
The microsensor group develops microsensors and applies these tools to answer scientific questions. The sensors are used in various research themes: studies of O, S and C cycling in microbial mats; the relation between complexity and stability of microbial ecosystems (mats); anoxygenic photosynthesis in modelsystems; calcification and respiration in deep-sea sediments; the N-cycle in freshwater sediments; the N and S cycle in biofilms.

Department of Microbiology

Physiology of bacteria from the carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and iron cycles
Hydrocarbon- and oil-degrading bacteria
The Department of Microbiology investigates the physiology and diversity of aquatic bacteria from the cycles of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and iron. Investigations usually include the isolation of bacteria and their study under defined conditions in the laboratory. Characterization of enrichment and pure cultures is often combined with the analysis of ribosomal nucleic acids, which is carried out in collaboration with the Molecular Ecology group. One major project is the study of the anaerobic degradation of long-lived natural products such as hydrocarbons, mostly by denitrifying and sulfate-reducing bacteria. Furthermore, the physiology of naturally abundant forms of sulfur-oxidizing and sulfate-reducing bacteria is of interest.

Ecophysiology Group

Group leader:

The ecophysiology group studies the metabolic activity of bacteria, which are important for the ecology of the ocean. A special focus is on those physiological processes, which may be of larger importance for the nitrogen and the phosphorus cycle. One major priority of the group is the enrichment and cultivation of large sulfur bacteria, which are able to store nitrate and phosphate.

Department of Molecular Ecology

Investigation of the diversity, structure and distribution of microbial populations through approaches based on nucleic acid analyses.

The Department of Molecular Ecology directs its work towards understanding the structure and function of microbial communities and their dynamics with regard to biotic and abiotic changes in the environment. The habitats that are under investigation in our group are of different complexity. Usually the molecular methods developed for pure cultures and enrichments are optimized for environmental use in more defined systems like biofilms or symbiotic associations and finally adapted to the study of more complex systems as planktonic or benthic bacterial communities.

Symbiosis Group

The Symbiosis Group
The Symbiosis Group studies the biology and ecology of associations between bacteria and eukaryotes, with our main emphasis on marine invertebrates from chemosynthetic environments such as sulfide-rich coastal sediments, vents, and seeps.

Microbial Genomics Group

The Microbial Genomics Group investigates the genetic potential of marine bacteria and their mechanisms coded in the genome to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Techniques used are whole genome analysis and metagenomics, expression profiling of selected and complete gene sets on microarrays, phylogenetic reconstruction based on ribosomal RNA genes, functional genes and whole genome trees as well as software development.
Furthermore, the group organizes international work shops in the field of phylogeny and sequence/genome analysis and is involved in educating bioinformatics at the University Bremen and the Jacobs University Bremen.

HGF MPG joint research group for deep sea ecology and technology
Microbial Habitat Group

The microbial habitat describes the physical location and type of environment in which a population of microorganisms lives. Hence, this research group studies the physical, chemical, geological hydrological and biological characteristics of the diverse microbial habitats. Microbial populations occupy certain niches in the marine environment, which are defined by a variety of factors such as temperature, pressure, pH, salinity and the availability of substrates, nutrients as well as electron acceptors, as well as by a variety of mortality factors. The goal of our research on “microbial habitats” is to understand niche formation and to investigate regulatory mechanisms for the occurrence and distribution of microbial populations. This requires the development of a variety of in situ techniques, as well as experimental strategies to quantify the nature and variability of the habitat on different temporal and spatial scales. Actual research approaches encompass the measurement and modeling of diffusive and convective processes in diverse habitats, the in situ quantification of transport and reaction, as well as the comparative analysis of life in extreme environments such as mud volcanoes, hot vents and gas hydrates.

The Marine Geochemistry-Group aims at a better understanding of global element cycles by using molecular tools. A special focus thereby lies on dissolved organic matter (DOM). Structure-function relationships for DOM and other organic matter pools are required to understand the earth’s past and future. Recent progress in analytical chemistry has allowed the characterisation of DOM at the molecular level in unprecedented detail, revealing new insights into its source and history.

The Microbial Fitness Group addresses the molecular basis of the ecological fitness of bacteria.

Marine Isotope Geochemistry