Marine microbes play a critical role in our oceans’ health—making up the bulk of ocean biomass they directly control the majority of the oceans’ energy production and are ultimately responsible for regulating the marine food-web—however, little is known about the dynamic nature of these organisms.

This Bioplatforms Australia Framework Data Initiative will establish how Australia’s marine microbial communities change over time in various locations and habitats. The consortium of researchers will investigate the microbial communities of seawater, sediment, sponges, seaweeds, corals and seagrasses utilising the extensive sequencing capability of Bioplatforms Australia and support from Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS).

The nationally collaborative project is led by Dr Torsten Thomas from the University of New South Wales and Dr Lev Bodrossy from CSIRO and involves scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, James Cook University, Macquarie University, Sydney Institute of Marine Science, University of Queensland and University of Technology Sydney.

For further information please visit the Bioplatforms Australia Metadata Portal: https://data.bioplatforms.com/organization/about/bpa-marine-microbes

Project contacts:

Torsten Thomas | T: 02 9385 3467 | t.thomas@unsw.edu.au
Lev Bodrossy | T: 3 6232 5456 | Lev.Bodrossy@csiro.au
Anna Fitzgerald | T: 02 9850 1174 | afitzgerald@bioplatforms.com

Amazing Microbes – The Importance of Microbiology

By Malou Zuidema