About the Project
Scientific Background
Microalgae are major components of marine ecosystems worldwide, providing essential ecosystem services including using carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. Our research shows that they also produce nitrogen-containing compounds (N-osmolytes) used for alleviating salinity stress and maintenance of photosynthesis. These compounds degrade in seawater to produce methylamines, which can move into the atmosphere, where they take part in chemical reactions, influencing cloud formation and climate.
This PhD is an exciting opportunity to advance understanding of the production of N-osmolytes and methylamines by algae today and in the future. Climate change scenarios predict conditions leading to variable riverine inputs to coastal areas and changes to the balance of the nutrient pools. Your challenge is to investigate how these changes might affect production of N-osmolytes and methylamines, which could have important consequences for the climate.
Objectives
1. Use liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography to examine production of N-osmolytes and methylamines for a global microalgal species (Emiliania huxleyi).
2. Undertake seasonal sampling in the Western English Channel to investigate production of N-osmolytes and methylamines under changing natural inputs of organic nitrogen.
3. Experimentally determine how changes in composition of the nitrogen pool influence production of N-osmolytes and methylamines in cultures of Emiliania huxleyi.
Supervisory team: Based at the University of Plymouth (Dr. Mark Fitzsimons) with periods of working at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (Dr. Ruth Airs) and the University of East Anglia (Dr. Gill Malin) this studentship will include algal culturing and field sampling in coastal and oceanic waters. We are a strong multidisciplinary team with excellent track records for research on algae and measurement of the compounds to be studied.
Candidate Profile: This project would suit a self-motivated student, with a good experimental skills and practical ingenuity. Relevant analytical skills and an appreciation of algae would be ideal. You should have/anticipate a 1st or 2i BSc and/or an MSc in the Biological, Chemical or Environmental Sciences.
EnvEast welcomes applicants from quantitative disciplines who may have limited background in environmental sciences. Excellent candidates will be considered for an award of an additional 3-month stipend to take appropriate advanced-level courses in the subject area.
This project has been shortlisted for funding by the EnvEast NERC Doctoral Training Partnership, comprising the Universities of East Anglia, Essex and Kent, with over twenty other research partners. Undertaking a PhD with the EnvEast DTP will involve attendance at mandatory training events throughout the course of the PhD.
Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed on 12/13 February 2018.
For further information, please visit www.enveast.ac.uk/apply
For more information on the supervisor for this project, please go here: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/staff/mark-fitzsimons
Type of programme: PhD
Start date of project: October 2018
Mode of study: Full time or part time
Length of studentship: 3.5 years
References
(i) Dall’Osto, M., Ovadnevaite, J., Paglione, M., Beddows, D. C. S., Ceburnis, D., Cree, C., Cortés, P., Zamanillo, M., Nunes, S. O., Pérez, G. L., Ortega-Retuerta, E., Emelianov, M., Vaqué, D., Marrasé, C., Estrada, M., Sala, M. M., Vidal, M., Fitzsimons, M. F., Beale, R., Airs, R., Rinaldi, M., Decesari, S., Cristina Facchini, M., Harrison, R. M., O’Dowd, C. & Simó, R. (2017) Antarctic sea ice region as a source of biogenic organic nitrogen in aerosols. Scientific Reports, 7, 6047.
(ii) Beale, R. & Airs, R. (2016) Quantification of glycine betaine, choline and
trimethylamine N-oxide in seawater particulates: Minimisation of seawater
associated ion suppression. Analytica Chimica Acta, 938, 114.
(iii) McKew, B. A., Metodieva, G., Raines, C. A., Metodiev, M. V. & Geider, R. J. (2015) Acclimation of Emiliania huxleyi (1516) to nutrient limitation involves precise modification of the proteome to scavenge alternative sources of N and P. Environmental Microbiology, 17, 4050.
(iv) Almeida, J. et al. (2013) Molecular understanding of sulphuric acid-amine particle nucleation in the atmosphere. Nature, 502, 359.
(v) Franklin, D.J., Airs, R.L., Fernandes, M., Bell, T.G., Bongaerts, R.J., Berges, J.A., Malin, G. (2012) Identification of senescence and death in Emiliania huxleyi andThalassiosira pseudonana: Cell staining, chlorophyll alterations, and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) metabolism. Limnology & Oceanography 57, 305.
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