Microbial interactions during phytoplankton community succession

Page reviewed:  21/09/2026

How do microbial interactions, particularly those involving parasitic chytrids, shape the temporal dynamics and functioning of aquatic communities?

The MSc thesis project will use existing 16S and 18S amplicon sequencing data from a large outdoor mesocosm experiment investigating how phytoplankton diversity and community succession affect ecosystem functioning, measured as resource use efficiency (RUE). 

The dataset comprises five time points across 40 experimental units, providing an opportunity to investigate how bacterial and microeukaryotic communities associated with phytoplankton change throughout community succession. Particular attention will be given to interactions involving chytrids, which are important parasites of phytoplankton.

Aim

The student will investigate bacterial and microeukaryotic community dynamics, with a particular focus on potential microbial interactions, focusing on:

  • Community diversity and composition analyses
  • Analysis of temporal community dynamics
  • Network-based approaches to explore potential microbial interactions
  • Linking microbial community dynamics to resource use efficiency (RUE) measured in the original experiment

The project will provide an opportunity to connect microbial community ecology and ecological network approaches with ecosystem functioning in a realistic aquatic experimental system.

We also expect that the results from this project will be published in a scientific journal with the student as a co-author.

Participants

The data to be analyzed in this project were generated as part of the BEFree Aquacosm+ project in Lunz, Austria. The student will receive co-supervision from international collaborators involved in the project, providing an opportunity to work with an international research network: András Abonyi (Centre for Ecological Research, Hungary), Evangelia Smeti (Hellenic Center for Marine Research, Greece)

Related publications/ongoing work

Temporal dependence of community succession drives ecosystem functioning in natural phytoplankton, https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003535/v1

Assemblage organization over time prevents invasion success in phytoplankton, https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70580

Facts

  • Level: Advanced (Master) level 30 hp / 20 weeks
  • Main subject area: Biology, Ecology
  • Language: English

 

Contact