CoE Micrplanet Key Researcher Jill Petersen receives prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant to investigate seagrass symbionts. ©Der Knopfdrücker
In her project SeaSym, Jillian Petersen and her team will investigate the biodiversity and ecological functions of a very widespread type of microbial symbiont in coastal marine ecosystems, including seagrass meadows and salt marshes, which are also essential to ocean health. This symbiont group is called Sedimenticolaceae.
Petersen and her team will test the theory that Sedimenticolaceae symbionts provide their hosts with a natural ‘fertilizer’ through their nitrogen-fixing activity, and that they cleanse the environment of toxic sulfides, promoting plant health. They will test how the function of such symbioses might adapt to future oceans that are becoming warmer. One additional feature of these remarkable symbionts is their ability to colonize both animal and plant hosts. Understanding how such a unique lifestyle has evolved is another exciting aspect of the planned research.
The ERC will fund the SeaSym project for the next 5 years with a prestigious Consolidator Grant, amounting to 2 million Euros. Consolidator Grants support mid-career researchers to strengthen their research teams and advance their excellent scientific track record. They empower recently established independent research groups to pursue innovative and high-impact questions.