FPU2023-Microbes associated with the degradation of organic pollutants in the deep Balearic sea

The deep sea is one of the larger biomes on Earth. It is exposed to numerous impacts of anthropic origin, such as inputs of organic pollutants. However, it remains understudied due to the technical and logistic problems related to sampling deep sea waters. In this proposal, we aim to characterize the microbes and metabolic pathways potentially responsible for degradation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the deep Balearic, deep Mediterranean and deep Atlantic ocean, representative of locations with different impacts, using metagenomics. Additionally, rates of uptake of POPs in the deep sea versus surface waters will be assessed to improve our knowledge on the fate of these pollutants in the global ocean and implement it in global models. The effect of pressure and temperature on the metabolism of POPs will be assessed in situ and using pressure tanks by measuring uptake rates and assessing transcriptomic profiles. Taking the results together, the role and singularities of the deep Mediterranean sea in the global fate of these compounds will be explored. The combination of state-of-the-art techniques (including different -OMICS), specific instrumentation (In situ microbial incubator and pressure tanks), and stablished protocols (uptake of radiolabelled substrates) will provide an integrative view on the fate of these POPs in the deep and (by contrast) in the sunlit sea.