SPP 2330

GROUP PESTER & NGUGI / Project PE 2147/5-1

Identity, infection strategy, and biogeochemical impact of nitrifier-infecting viruses

Environmental viruses heavily influence the genetic diversity and ecology of microbial communities and thus exert control on biogeochemical cycling. This has been exemplified for the carbon cycle in concepts like the viral shunt and the viral shuttle. However, very little is known how viruses modulate N-cycling microbial communities and in turn the nitrogen cycle. Here, we propose to study the effect viruses have on the virocell metabolism of nitrifying microorganisms, in particular ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB). We hypothesize that viruses affect the rate and resilience of nitrification differently depending on their infection strategy and the interconnected dominating ammonia oxidizing population.

Principal Investigator(s)

Prof. Dr. Michael Pester
Dept. Of Microorganisms
Leibniz Institute DSMZ
German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH

E-Mail: Michael.Pester@dsmz.de
Homepage: https://www.dsmz.de/research/microorganisms

Dr. David Kamanda Ngugi
Dept. Of Microorganisms
Leibniz Institute DSMZ
German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH

E-Mail: David.Ngugi@dsmz.de
Homepage: https://www.dsmz.de/research/microorganisms

 

 

PhD student(s)

János Papendorf (jap19@dsmz.de)

Publications

  • Herber, J., Klotz, F., Frommeyer, B., Weis, S., Straile, D., Kolar, A., Sikorski, J., Egert, M., Dannenmann, M., Pester, M. (2020) A single Thaumarchaeon drives nitrification in deep oligotrophic Lake Constance. Environ Microbiol 22: 212-228
  • Duarte C.M., Ngugi D.K., Alam I., Pearman J., Kamau A., Eguilz V.W., Gojobori T., Acinas S.G., Gasol J.M., Bajic V.B., and Irigoien X. (2020) Sequencing effort dictates gene discovery in marine microbial metagenomes. Environ Microbiol. 22: 4589-4603