PLEASE NOTE: Application deadline date 08 Jan 2024. Applications are no longer being accepted for this project
Calcification by coccolithophores has had a profound influence on our planet. These tiny marine algae produce a covering of calcium carbonate plates and are major contributors to sedimentary rocks such as chalks and limestones. However, the mechanisms of calcification in coccolithophores remain poorly understood. We need to understand more about the calcification process and identify key differences between species in order to determine how coccolithophore communities may respond to a changing climate.
This project sets out to address the following questions:
· How did calcification in coccolithophores evolve?
· What were the key mechanisms required for the development of heavily-calcified species?
How do these specialized mechanisms affect the ability of coccolithophores
- to withstand environmental change?
The project will use comparative genomic approaches on coccolithophorid cultures (using existing genomic resources) to examine how cellular mechanisms associated with calcification differ between coccolithophores and other non-calcifying algae. Proteomic datasets will be analysed to identify specific proteins that are highly expressed in heavily-calcified species. Physiological experiments will then be used to examine how specific proteins contribute to calcification, using advanced microscopy approaches to examine the nature of coccolith formation. The final aspect of the project will be to identify how specialised cellular mechanisms required for calcification contribute to the environmental sensitivity of coccolithophores.
The supervisory team combines expertise from multiple disciplines, including algal biology, evolutionary biology and cell biology. We have a large network of collaborators, both nationally and internationally, providing multiple opportunities for field work (e.g. research cruises) and/or study visits to laboratories in Europe and further afield (culture-based studies).
The INSPIRE DTP programme provides comprehensive personal and professional development training alongside extensive opportunities for students to expand their multi-disciplinary outlook through interactions with a wide network of academic, research and industrial/policy partners. The student will be registered at the University of Southampton and hosted at the Marine Biological Association. Specific training will include:
• Comparative genomics. The project will include training in molecular genetic approaches, including PCR-based cloning and in bioinformatics (e.g. genomic and phylogenetic analyses, analysis of proteomic datasets) to enable comparison of the gene content of different coccolithophore species and other algae.
• Phytoplankton culturing techniques. The student will be trained in the culturing of marine phytoplankton, including coccolithophores and other non-calcifying algae.
• Physiological analyses. Full training will be provided in methods to measure coccolithophore physiology (e.g. growth, photosynthesis) under different treatments and environmental conditions and in microscopy techniques to assess the impacts on calcification (scanning electron microscopy, confocal microscopy)
· Kottmeier DM, et al (2022) Reduced H+ channel activity disrupts pH homeostasis and calcification in coccolithophores at low ocean pH. PNAS 119 (19), e2118009119
· Langer G et al (2021). Role of silicon in the development of complex crystal shapes in coccolithophores New Phytol doi: 10.1111/nph.17230.
Taylor AR et al (2017) Coccolithophore Cell Biology: Chalking Up Progress. Ann Rev Mar Sci 9:283-310 doi: 10.1146/annurev-marine-122414-034032
