Further advances: In situ molecular quantification of zooplankton feeding and bactivory in complex marine systems.

The question of who eats what and why has been at the forefront of plankton ecology for over a century. Accurate data on trophic interactions for key organisms, such as copepods and other zooplankton, is vital for understanding the mechanisms that structu re pelagic ecosystems. While many advances in our understanding have been driven by technological breakthroughs, it remains difficult to quantify in situ feeding rates by zooplankton on specific prey organisms. The objective of the parent project (NFR 15 2714/120) “A collaborative breakthrough: molecular quantification of zooplankton feeding in complex marine ecosystems” is focused on the development of new molecular methods to estimate in situ feeding by copepods. The previous collaboration with Dr. Fri scher at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, involving an 8-month visit for the project manager (Nejstgaard) to the US for molecular training and probe design, was of key importance to the parent project. The objectives of the current proposal, which would allow Dr. Frischer to spend 4 months in Bergen, include the completion of essential experiments and manuscripts associated with the parent project and expansion of the scope of the project, allowing the method to be applied to a common diatom specie s and to evaluate a novel molecular approach to investigate bactivory. In addition to these specific goals, this project will facilitate new interactions between Dr. Frischer and several other UiB scientists.