24 August 2023

Influence of hypoxia and hyperoxia on aquatic microbes, plants and animals

Project type:

Bachelor, Master, PUK, PhD

 

Keywords:

Biology, Marine biology, Microbiology, Biochemistry

 

Project description:

Oxygen is a requirement for the large majority of organisms inhabiting aquatic environments. However, if oxygen occurs at very low (hypoxic) or very high (hyperoxic) concentrations it becomes problematic for many organisms. The reason for this is that the speciation of oxygen matters. Besides the usual form of dissolved molecular oxygen (O2), oxygen can also be found as Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and superoxide (O2-). Both hypoxia and hyperoxia can induce oxidative stress via formation of ROS that can react with and break down macromolecules and induce cell death. However, quantification of ROS in aquatic organisms and systems are complicated, and there are still many knowledge gaps in relation to stress-induced ROS formation and its consequences for cell integrity and metabolism.

We have state-of-the-art equipment (electrochemical and optical sensors and a flow-injection system) to study the role of ROS in a wide range of aquatic organisms (from microbes to small invertebrates and plants). The projects offered in this subject thus involve the use of sophisticated equipment and one or more biological systems of your choice.  Both individual and group projects are available. Below, we have listed some examples for inspiration:

  1. The role of high O2 concentrations and ROS as a driver of diversity in planktonic communities, especially during algal blooms
  2. How does high O2 concentrations and ROS affect the growth, physiology, and genotypic/phenotypic stability of microalgae in biotechnological applications?
  3. The role of ROS and hypoxia in freshwater organisms (e.g. insect larvae and zooplankton) exposed to extremes in temperature and/or UV radiation
  4. The role of ROS and hypoxia in symbiont-bearing corals and other cnidarians
  5. How does ROS affect cultivation of microalgae?
  6. The role of ROS in photosynthetic biofilms
  7. Your idea here.

 

These projects are part of the Ecology Cluster initiative on ecophysiology, and is supported financially by the Department of Biology.

 

Contact information:

Michael Kühl (mkuhl@bio.ku.dk), Dean Jacobsen (djacobsen@bio.ku.dk), Niels-Ulrik Frigaard (nuf@bio.ku.dk) or Per Juel Hansen (pjhansen@bio.ku.dk)

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