Much of the bacterial secondary production in the aquatic ecosystems is supported by rapid uptake of labile metabolites released from phytoplankton, either directly through excretion and diffusion or indirectly through lysis and predation. This project seeks Community Science Program support in an investigation of the effects of temperature stress on the metabolite pools produced and released by three phytoplankton species to assess changes in the composition and fate of metabolites transferred to bacteria.
Proposer: Mary Ann Moran, University of Georgia
Proposal: Temperature Effects on Metabolite-Mediated Autotroph-Heterotroph Carbon Transfer