Facts about the project
Project managers
Rebecca Duncan
Other project members
Hanna Farnelid and Lisa Winberg von Friesen, Linnaeus University; Ilka Peeken and Katja Metfies, Alfred Wegener Institute
Participating organizations
Linneaus University, Alfred Wegner Institute
Financier
Carl Trygger Foundation, Linnaeus University
Timetable
1 May 2025 – 1 May 2027
Subject
Ecology, Biology and Environmental Science (Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences)
Research group
Marine phytoplankton ecology and applications (MPEA)
Centre of Excellence
Linnaeus University Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems (EEMiS)
Knowledge Environment
Linnaeus Knowledge Environment: Water
More about the project
Sea-ice algae are a vital food source in polar oceans, providing much of the energy that supports marine life. They can make up to 60% of all primary production in ice-covered waters and are especially important for zooplankton reproduction in early spring. Despite their importance, we still know little about which microalgae are present during autumn when sea ice is forming, how their communities change, or how microalgae living in the ice connect with those in the water below. Understanding these patterns is essential for predicting how ongoing sea-ice loss will affect food webs and carbon cycling in polar ecosystems.
This project aims to uncover how microalgae living in the forming ice and the water beneath it interact during the autumn freeze-up period. During an expedition (EGC-Sources, PS150) with the RV Polarstern (Alfred Wegener Institute) in autumn 2025, we will provide rare insights into phytoplankton community composition during the ice-formation period, determining species’ presence and abundance through molecular and taxonomic methods. This will be performed across various sea ice types (landfast and drift ice) and ice ages (multi-year, first-year and newly formed ice). To better understand the phytoplankton physiological state and role in the food-web, we will determine the nutritional value of the community and of key taxa through a combination of fatty-acid analysis and single-cell biomolecular investigation. To investigate the strategies employed to colonise the ice, we will quantify the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) produced by the microalgae in under-ice water and bottom ice. Combined, these tools will also allow us to better understand the interaction of microalgal communities between water and ice in autumn.
The project is part of the research in the research group Marine phytoplankton ecology and applications, in the Linnaeus University Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems (EEMiS) and in the Linnaeus Knowledge Environment: Water.
