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UK FOCE: Plans and aspirations Steve Widdicombe Karen Tait. xFOCE systems: present status and future developments Villefranche-sur-mer, France, 19 th –21 st December, 2013. NERC UKOA AVA Funding. “Impacts of ocean acidification on coastal Mediterranean benthic ecosystems” Karen Tait et al.
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UK FOCE: Plans and aspirations Steve Widdicombe Karen Tait xFOCE systems: present status and future developments Villefranche-sur-mer, France, 19th–21st December, 2013
NERC UKOA AVA Funding “Impacts of ocean acidification on coastal Mediterranean benthic ecosystems” Karen Tait et al. • This grant funds UK participation in the eFOCE project. • PML’s participation focuses on: • Microbial analysis - abundance, activity and diversity of nitrogen cycling microbes will be determined using qPCR and DGGE or TRFLP of key genes involved in N-cycling pathways e.g. nitrification: archaeal and bacterial specific amoA; dentirification: nirS, nirKand nosZ; anammox: anammox-specific 16S rRNA; N2 fixation: nifH. • Biofilms on settlement panels • Process rates nitrification (by inhibitor techniques), denitrification and anammox • Macrofaunal and meiofaunal • community structure and diversity PML to participate in antFOCE, providing input on a variety of studies, including microbial ecology, sediment biogeochemistry, bioturbation and macroalgae. Part of the plan to generate a track record to support future funding applications.
Multiple Stressors Proposal • 4 UK habitats: • mearl, cold water corals, mussel beds, seagrass (Zostera) • Habitats with high conservation status • Will a reduction in local stressors (pollution, disturbance, resource extraction) reduce the impact of climate stress (OA and warming) on key UK marine ecosystems? • Consistent observations and experiments conducted across all 4 habitats. • FOCE proposed as one of these activities.
Multiple Stressors Proposal • Standard(ish) FOCE systems that could be applied in all 4 habitats. • Evidence (track record) that FOCE is a reliable technology and the project team have the necessary skills / expertise to conduct the experiments (eFOCE, antFOCE). • Multiple FOCE chambers at each site which can be deployed along gradients of local impact. Perhaps 6 chambers in each habitat (Implications for costs). • Or can FOCE be adapted to manipulate multiple stressors (e.g. CO2 and O2)? • Corals would be deep water and not accessible by diving. • Can the FOCE concept be: • scaled down or simplified to support greater replication? • deployed in all these different habitats successfully?