MARUM Research Academy

Impact of temperature on microbial activity and carbon flow in deep hot sediments of the Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California (IODP Expedition 385)

We focus on microbial life in hot, deep sediments in the Guaymas basin. The basin is situated in an active spreading margin, resulting in large temperature gradients with depth as well as volcanic sill intrusions, causing organic matter in the sediment to form hydrocarbons that are hydrothermally cycled. Due to steep temperature gradients in the tectonically weakened crust, the acquired cores cover temperatures of up to 120°C (the current known maximum temperature tolerated by microbes) and due to basaltic sill intrusions, hosts a great variety of microbial species. The concentration of microorganisms and their phylogeny as well as the reactions at play are still largely unknown.

In the course of my three-year position, I will be investigating links between environmental parameters and microbial abundances in the Guaymas basin via established lipidomics workflows as well as combining obtained data with environmental and contextual parameters to apply meta-analysis.

This research will be conducted within the broader context of complementary data, including temperature variations, endospore abundance, acetate levels, and other pertinent factors. Leveraging machine learning algorithms, I aim to unveil the compositions of microorganism communities and identify the conditions that give rise to different microbial communities.