Organosulfur cycling in abundant anoxic marine sediments: a case study of saltmarsh sediments
Lead Research Organisation:
University of East Anglia
Department Name: Biological Sciences
Abstract
There is abundant oxygen in Earth's atmosphere, oceans and many soils, and this has enabled the evolution of multicellular life. The surface ocean is oxygen-rich because photosynthetic organisms (primary producers) are abundant. Some of these photosynthetic organisms make important molecules that can be released to the atmosphere. Once there, they can react and form clouds, generating rain and acidity in water vapour, and thus are important in climatology and sulfur cycling. The most well-known of these is dimethyl sulfide (DMS), which is derived from the action of marine microorganisms catabolising dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP). An estimated several billion tonnes of DMSP is made each year by marine algae, corals, plants, and, as shown by us, marine bacteria. DMSP has other key roles in marine ecosystems, serving as an osmoprotectant, a nutrient for marine microbes, and, like DMS, it is a chemoattractant for many organisms that link it with food. DMSP and DMS are so abundant in marine environments that the characteristic smell associated with the seaside comes from DMS itself.
It is widely believed that only surface waters make significant amounts of DMSP and DMS via photosynthetic organisms. Our discovery that heterotrophic bacteria produce DMSP challenges this belief, since they do not require light. Furthermore, we have shown that large quantities of DMSP (orders of magnitude greater than in surface oceans), DMS and other organosulfur molecules exist in mud that is devoid of oxygen, and is instead filled with reduced iron (termed ferruginous) and reduced sulfur (termed euxinic). This was interesting and important, because we don't know how these molecules are produced or consumed in these very different environments, what organisms are involved and what role these molecules play in the microbial communities living there. Given that marine sediments cover over 70 % of Earth's surface, this topic is of global significance. Moreover, for 85% of Earth's history the ocean was likely free of oxygen, and only contained dissolved iron or sulfur. Were these molecules important in these past oceans? What role did they play?
As environmental conditions (including climate) likely affect DMSP/DMS production, and vice versa, it is key to understand and predict these effects. Current estimates of DMSP/DMS production are likely inaccurate due to i) a lack of integrated studies combining molecular, biogeochemical, process and modelling data; and ii) ignorance as to the input from bacterial DMSP-production, particularly from marine sediments.
Questions we will explore are: Why is there lots of DMS but none of its related metabolite, methanethiol (MeSH), in iron-rich sediments, while in sulfide-rich sediments it is the opposite? How are organisms making these molecules, and why? What role do these molecules play in bacterial communities in the mud? How significant is the production of these molecules on a global scale?
Our project is divided into several work packages. We will carry out a detailed, year-long study at Warham saltmarsh, which has ferruginous and euxinic sediment pools in close proximity. We will take samples and analyse the geochemistry and microbiology of sediments where we have identified these key patterns. We will determine what organisms are there, and what they are doing, using a series of molecular microbiology techniques, including 'omics work (on microbial community DNA & RNA) and stable isotope probing, which allows us to identify organisms actively cycling DMSP. We will then isolate and grow these microorganisms in the lab to understand how the production and consumption of these climatologically important molecules varies in response to the environmental changes we impose. Finally, we will model these changes and extrapolate to determine how important these environments are to the production and consumption of these molecules, which will be a definitive window to both the past and future.
It is widely believed that only surface waters make significant amounts of DMSP and DMS via photosynthetic organisms. Our discovery that heterotrophic bacteria produce DMSP challenges this belief, since they do not require light. Furthermore, we have shown that large quantities of DMSP (orders of magnitude greater than in surface oceans), DMS and other organosulfur molecules exist in mud that is devoid of oxygen, and is instead filled with reduced iron (termed ferruginous) and reduced sulfur (termed euxinic). This was interesting and important, because we don't know how these molecules are produced or consumed in these very different environments, what organisms are involved and what role these molecules play in the microbial communities living there. Given that marine sediments cover over 70 % of Earth's surface, this topic is of global significance. Moreover, for 85% of Earth's history the ocean was likely free of oxygen, and only contained dissolved iron or sulfur. Were these molecules important in these past oceans? What role did they play?
As environmental conditions (including climate) likely affect DMSP/DMS production, and vice versa, it is key to understand and predict these effects. Current estimates of DMSP/DMS production are likely inaccurate due to i) a lack of integrated studies combining molecular, biogeochemical, process and modelling data; and ii) ignorance as to the input from bacterial DMSP-production, particularly from marine sediments.
Questions we will explore are: Why is there lots of DMS but none of its related metabolite, methanethiol (MeSH), in iron-rich sediments, while in sulfide-rich sediments it is the opposite? How are organisms making these molecules, and why? What role do these molecules play in bacterial communities in the mud? How significant is the production of these molecules on a global scale?
Our project is divided into several work packages. We will carry out a detailed, year-long study at Warham saltmarsh, which has ferruginous and euxinic sediment pools in close proximity. We will take samples and analyse the geochemistry and microbiology of sediments where we have identified these key patterns. We will determine what organisms are there, and what they are doing, using a series of molecular microbiology techniques, including 'omics work (on microbial community DNA & RNA) and stable isotope probing, which allows us to identify organisms actively cycling DMSP. We will then isolate and grow these microorganisms in the lab to understand how the production and consumption of these climatologically important molecules varies in response to the environmental changes we impose. Finally, we will model these changes and extrapolate to determine how important these environments are to the production and consumption of these molecules, which will be a definitive window to both the past and future.
Planned Impact
We will provide a step-change in knowledge of the cycling of the climatologically important compounds dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), methanethiol and dimethyl sulfide (DMS). Current flux models of these molecules assume that they are solely produced and cycled in oxic and photic settings, but our new work shows that this is untrue. We find that marine bacteria are key producers of DMSP in marine sediment and have identified many of the key genes involved in the production and cycling of DMSP and other organosulfur compounds. This is important because DMSP and DMS are likely made in massive amounts in anoxic sediments, and have key roles in sulfur and nutrient cycling, signalling pathways and climate, yet very little is known about this microbial cycling in sediments. Our proposal is driven by the need to understand the amount, role and flux of these organosulfur molecules in anoxic sediments, which will better inform estimates of where they are made and how they are released to the environment.
Our research may benefit wider society through our models for DMSP/DMS dynamics which will inform policymakers on the potential environmental consequences of changes in DMSP/DMS production under future climate scenarios.
Our work will be of great interest to scientists including microbiologists, molecular ecologists, computational biologists, biological modellers and biochemists due to the range and quality of data generated. DMSP/DMS research is well-represented in recent high impact journals and is a well-publicised area of NERC research. We are confident our project will interest a wide scientific audience. We will disseminate our findings in the best international journals and strive to include publications in journals that have wider audiences.
The media and general public find our NERC-funded work on DMSP/DMS and sediment biogeochemistry interesting e.g., Todd's 2007 Science paper led to appearances on TV, radio interviews and press reports throughout the world, and Turchyn has been on several popular science radio shows, such as the BBC's Naked Scientist. We will continue to disseminate our findings to the public through e.g., UEA and Cambridge press offices, our websites, Twitter and NERC.
Our outreach focuses on delivering outcomes to the younger generation through various schemes (See Pathways to Impact document). These include the writing of articles, opening a project YouTube channel and Twitter account where we will place updates of our fieldwork, publications, conferences, videos for non-experts on field sampling, and relevant scientific information on saltmarsh biogeochemistry. We will produce two short research videos, one at the project's start explaining 'why it matters' and 'what we will do', and one near the end of the project to highlight our findings. We will also create displays at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust Education and Visitor Centre at Cley Marsh and Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Cambridge, which combined get 200,000 visitors per year.
DMSP/DMS research has applications of interest to industry. The co-products of DMSP lyase enzymes, hydroxypropionate or acrylate, are high-value chemicals in the plastics industry. Also, DMSP is an antistress compound and osmolyte in environments with high salt and sulfur levels, and DMS is a desirable flavour in e.g., beer and wine. By hosting summer internships through SfAM, Microbiology Soc. and UEA internship programmes, we will investigate these industrially applicable research areas. For example, through NERC-funded interns we have generated transgenic Arabidopsis plant lines that produce DMSP, which interns can help characterise for salt/cold tolerance, etc. As part of our impact plan and through such intern positions, we will explore the potential of these ideas that are enabled by our research. These internships provide excellent training opportunities for local students. All of Todd's NERC-funded interns have gone on to do PhDs.
Our research may benefit wider society through our models for DMSP/DMS dynamics which will inform policymakers on the potential environmental consequences of changes in DMSP/DMS production under future climate scenarios.
Our work will be of great interest to scientists including microbiologists, molecular ecologists, computational biologists, biological modellers and biochemists due to the range and quality of data generated. DMSP/DMS research is well-represented in recent high impact journals and is a well-publicised area of NERC research. We are confident our project will interest a wide scientific audience. We will disseminate our findings in the best international journals and strive to include publications in journals that have wider audiences.
The media and general public find our NERC-funded work on DMSP/DMS and sediment biogeochemistry interesting e.g., Todd's 2007 Science paper led to appearances on TV, radio interviews and press reports throughout the world, and Turchyn has been on several popular science radio shows, such as the BBC's Naked Scientist. We will continue to disseminate our findings to the public through e.g., UEA and Cambridge press offices, our websites, Twitter and NERC.
Our outreach focuses on delivering outcomes to the younger generation through various schemes (See Pathways to Impact document). These include the writing of articles, opening a project YouTube channel and Twitter account where we will place updates of our fieldwork, publications, conferences, videos for non-experts on field sampling, and relevant scientific information on saltmarsh biogeochemistry. We will produce two short research videos, one at the project's start explaining 'why it matters' and 'what we will do', and one near the end of the project to highlight our findings. We will also create displays at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust Education and Visitor Centre at Cley Marsh and Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Cambridge, which combined get 200,000 visitors per year.
DMSP/DMS research has applications of interest to industry. The co-products of DMSP lyase enzymes, hydroxypropionate or acrylate, are high-value chemicals in the plastics industry. Also, DMSP is an antistress compound and osmolyte in environments with high salt and sulfur levels, and DMS is a desirable flavour in e.g., beer and wine. By hosting summer internships through SfAM, Microbiology Soc. and UEA internship programmes, we will investigate these industrially applicable research areas. For example, through NERC-funded interns we have generated transgenic Arabidopsis plant lines that produce DMSP, which interns can help characterise for salt/cold tolerance, etc. As part of our impact plan and through such intern positions, we will explore the potential of these ideas that are enabled by our research. These internships provide excellent training opportunities for local students. All of Todd's NERC-funded interns have gone on to do PhDs.
Publications
Carrión O
(2023)
Molecular discoveries in microbial DMSP synthesis.
in Advances in microbial physiology
Carrión O
(2019)
Methanethiol and Dimethylsulfide Cycling in Stiffkey Saltmarsh.
in Frontiers in microbiology
Carrión O
(2023)
DMSOP-cleaving enzymes are diverse and widely distributed in marine microorganisms
in Nature Microbiology
Chen Y
(2019)
Towards a systematic understanding of structure-function relationship of dimethylsulfoniopropionate-catabolizing enzymes.
in Molecular microbiology
Curson ARJ
(2018)
DSYB catalyses the key step of dimethylsulfoniopropionate biosynthesis in many phytoplankton.
in Nature microbiology
Eyice Ö
(2018)
Bacterial SBP56 identified as a Cu-dependent methanethiol oxidase widely distributed in the biosphere.
in The ISME journal
Hopkins F
(2023)
The biogeochemistry of marine dimethylsulfide
in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment
Howat A
(2018)
Comparative Genomics and Mutational Analysis Reveals a Novel XoxF-Utilizing Methylotroph in the Roseobacter Group Isolated From the Marine Environment
in Frontiers in Microbiology
Kuek F
(2022)
DMSP Production by Coral-Associated Bacteria
in Frontiers in Marine Science
Li C
(2023)
Aerobic methylation of hydrogen sulfide to dimethylsulfide in diverse microorganisms and environments
in The ISME Journal
Li CY
(2023)
Dimethylsulfoniopropionate and its catabolites are important chemical signals mediating marine microbial interactions.
in Trends in microbiology
Li CY
(2023)
Ubiquitous occurrence of a dimethylsulfoniopropionate ABC transporter in abundant marine bacteria.
in The ISME journal
Liu J
(2022)
Oceanospirillales containing the DMSP lyase DddD are key utilisers of carbon from DMSP in coastal seawater.
in Microbiome
Liu J
(2019)
Proliferation of hydrocarbon-degrading microbes at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
in Microbiome
Liu J
(2024)
A unique subseafloor microbiosphere in the Mariana Trench driven by episodic sedimentation
in Marine Life Science & Technology
Liu J
(2021)
Bacterial Dimethylsulfoniopropionate Biosynthesis in the East China Sea
in Microorganisms
Liu J
(2018)
Novel Insights Into Bacterial Dimethylsulfoniopropionate Catabolism in the East China Sea.
in Frontiers in microbiology
Peng M
(2019)
Structure-Function Analysis Indicates that an Active-Site Water Molecule Participates in Dimethylsulfoniopropionate Cleavage by DddK.
in Applied and environmental microbiology
Peng M
(2022)
Insights into methionine S-methylation in diverse organisms.
in Nature communications
Song D
(2020)
Metagenomic Insights Into the Cycling of Dimethylsulfoniopropionate and Related Molecules in the Eastern China Marginal Seas.
in Frontiers in microbiology
Stirrup R
(2023)
Aminolipids elicit functional trade-offs between competitiveness and bacteriophage attachment in Ruegeria pomeroyi.
in The ISME journal
Sun H
(2021)
Spatiotemporal distribution of bacterial dimethylsulfoniopropionate producing and catabolic genes in the Changjiang Estuary
in Environmental Microbiology
Sun H
(2020)
DMSP-Producing Bacteria Are More Abundant in the Surface Microlayer than Subsurface Seawater of the East China Sea.
in Microbial ecology
Wagstaff BA
(2021)
Assessing the Toxicity and Mitigating the Impact of Harmful Prymnesium Blooms in Eutrophic Waters of the Norfolk Broads.
in Environmental science & technology
Wang S
(2023)
A new dimethylsulfoniopropionate lyase of the cupin superfamily in marine bacteria
in Environmental Microbiology
Wilkening J
(2019)
The Production and Fate of Volatile Organosulfur Compounds in Sulfidic and Ferruginous Sediment
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences
Williams B
(2019)
A day in the life of marine sulfonates
in Nature Microbiology
Williams BT
(2019)
Bacteria are important dimethylsulfoniopropionate producers in coastal sediments.
in Nature microbiology
Xue CX
(2021)
DiTing: A Pipeline to Infer and Compare Biogeochemical Pathways From Metagenomic and Metatranscriptomic Data.
in Frontiers in microbiology
Xue CX
(2020)
Insights into the Vertical Stratification of Microbial Ecological Roles across the Deepest Seawater Column on Earth.
in Microorganisms
Zhang XH
(2019)
Biogenic production of DMSP and its degradation to DMS-their roles in the global sulfur cycle.
in Science China. Life sciences
Zhang Y
(2021)
Dimethylsulfoniopropionate Biosynthetic Bacteria in the Subseafloor Sediments of the South China Sea.
in Frontiers in microbiology
Zheng Y
(2020)
Bacteria are important dimethylsulfoniopropionate producers in marine aphotic and high-pressure environments.
in Nature communications
Zhong H
(2020)
Novel insights into the Thaumarchaeota in the deepest oceans: their metabolism and potential adaptation mechanisms.
in Microbiome
Zhou T
(2023)
Quorum Sensing Regulates the Production of Methanethiol in Vibrio harveyi
in Microorganisms
Description | - We published a paper in Nature Microbiology titled 'Bacteria are important producers of dimethylsulfoniopropionate in coastal sediments'. This paper highlighted the fact that saltmarshes and particularly bacteria in the surface sediments are important producers and degraders of DMSP and related organosulfur compounds. - We published a paper titled 'The production and fate of volatile organosulfur compounds in sulfidic and ferruginous sediment' in JGR Biogeosciences documenting the main organosulfur cycling characteristics of ferruginous and euxinic sediments. Furthermore, this study suggested the microbial processes responsible for the observable differences in organosulfur cycling profiles between these two sediment types. - We have embarked on a time series study of ferruginous and euxinic sediments for organosulfur cycling processes at the molecular and biogeochemical levels, and are now in the process of analysing microbial community data and writing the paper. - We have a paper being published and one in review that are on the structure and function of DsyB and MmtN respectively, with the MmtN structure paper being considered by Nature Communications for its findings on novel genes in CPR bacteria and an archaea. |
Exploitation Route | Still to come |
Sectors | Environment |
Description | UKRI COVID-19 GRANT EXTENSION ALLOCATION (COA FUND) |
Amount | £76,024 (GBP) |
Funding ID | R206005 |
Organisation | United Kingdom Research and Innovation |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2021 |
End | 09/2021 |
Title | Volatile Organosulfur Compounds in Sulfidic and Ferruginous Sediments |
Description | Included in this dataset are measurements of the volatile organosulfur compounds methanethiol (MeSH), dimethyl sulfide (DMS), and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) that were measured in ferruginous and sulfidic sediments collected in the Warham Salt Marsh in north Norfolk, UK, in 2016-2017. Data include measurements of DMS and MeSH in homogenized marsh sediments (vosc_homogenized_sediments.csv) treated with various sediment amendments and analyzed using a cryotrapping gas chromatograph at the University of York. There are also measurements of DMS and MeSH for depth profiles of unamended sediments (vosc_depth_profiles.csv) analyzed using GC-FID at the University of East Anglia. There are also measurements of DMSP for these sediments (dmsp_depth_profiles.csv). Finally, concentrations of both DMS and MeSH for sediments measured at different times after sampling are reported (vosc_time_degradation.csv). For all reported values, they are reported both as the measured headspace concentration above slurried sediment as well as the calculated total amount of gas (nmol) in the headspace and added water per ml of sediment that was sampled. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/295543 |
Description | Collaboration with Georg Pohnert at University of Jena |
Organisation | Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU) |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | In collaboration with our project partners, we have identified the enzymes that cleave DMSOP, a newly discovered marine organosulfur compounds, into DMSO and acrylate. |
Collaborator Contribution | Georg Pohnert' s group, from University of Jena, has analysed the metabolites of DMSOP in different algal species. |
Impact | A paper submitted to Nature Microbiology, which is currently under review. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Collaboration with Stephen J. Giovanonni at Oregon State University |
Organisation | Oregon State University |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | In collaboration with our project partners, we have identified the enzymes that cleave DMSOP, a newly discovered marine organosulfur compounds, into DMSO and acrylate. |
Collaborator Contribution | Stephen J. Giovanonni has provided scientific advice on the culturing and metabolism of the hugely abundant SAR11 bacteria. |
Impact | A paper published in Nature Microbiology (Carrion et al., 2023) |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Collaboration with Yu-Zhong Zhang |
Organisation | Ocean University of China |
Country | China |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | In collaboration with our project partners, we have identified the enzymes that cleave DMSOP, a newly discovered marine organosulfur compounds, into DMSO and acrylate. |
Collaborator Contribution | Yu-Zhong Zhang's group has resolved the crystal structures and determined the kinetic parameters of the enzymes that cleave DMSOP. |
Impact | A paper submitted to Nature Microbiology, which is currently under review. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | 'Behind the paper' blog post written about the publishing of our nature paper: 'Bacteria are important dimethylsulfoniopropionate producers in coastal sediments'. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A blog post was requested to describe the background of how/why we studied this field, and the journey to publishing the paper 'Bacteria are important dimethylsulfoniopropionate producers in coastal sediments'. The blog was called 'Digging into the importance of bacterial DMSP synthesis in saltmarsh sediments' and was tweeted 6 times and liked by 11 people. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://naturemicrobiologycommunity.nature.com/users/291004-beth-williams/posts/52215-digging-into-t... |
Description | 'DMSP production in marine bacteria and algae: idenitification of novel synthesis genes' research talk at Microbiology Society Annual Conference in Belfast April 2019 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Research talk at Microbiology Society annual conference, presenting a summary of research work in Todd's lab. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | 'Marine Microbial DMSP Synthesis - from genes to microbes to pathways' at GEOMAR in Kiel, Germany in October 2018. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited research presentation at GEOMAR in Kiel Germany, presenting a summary of research work in Todd's lab. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | 'Marine Microbial DMSP Synthesis - from genes to microbes to pathways' at the Marine Microbes GRC 2018, Lucca, Italy, 1-6th July 2018. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited research talk at the Gordon Research Conference Marine Microbes conference, covering all research work from the Todd group. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | 'Secrets of the Seaside' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk on 'Secrets of the Seaside' for Norwich Science Festival given by Dr Beth Williams detailing DMSP research conducted in Todd's lab. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | 'Surface marine sediments are factories for DMSP and the climate active gas DMS' at the ASM Microbe meeting, June 2019, San Francisco. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited reesearch presnetation at ASM conference in San Francisco, summarising the reseacrh from Todd's lab. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | A changing perception of marine organosulfur cycling' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at the Microbial Cycling of Volatile Organic Compounds conference, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK, May 2022. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | A talk for the online Microbiology Society Annual Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Beth Williams gave a 15 minute talk titled 'Bacterial DMSP production: from the deepest depths to the smelliest saltmarsh' on the 27/04/2021 to researchers and postgraduate students, over zoom. There was much interest, and several questions asked. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Annual hosting of Nuffield studentships (2012-current). |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | In August 2019 we hosted Abdi Elikwu, a sixth form Nuffield student for 6 weeks. He enjoyed experiencing lab work and was able to give an oral presentation to the general public as a result. He then applied for a Nuffield and Gold CREST Award. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Bioacrylate production from algae |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at 3rd BBNet Conference, Sheffield, UK, 2024 to present work in our innovative study to generate bioacrylic acid from seaweeds. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | Chair and presenter for the Marine Microbial Ecology session at ISME19 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Chair and invited speaker in the Marine Microbial Ecology session at ISME19 International Conference in South Africa 2024. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | Invited Oral presentation at Microbiology Society Annual meeting, April 2020, Edinburgh.The title of the talk was "Molecular insights into marine organosulfur cycling" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Prof Jon Todd presented research from his groups work as an invited speaker at the Microbiology Society Annual conference 2020 in Edinburgh. The title of the talk was "Molecular insights into marine organosulfur cycling". |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Invited talk at the Microbiology Society Annual meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at the Microbiology Society Annual meeting 2022 in Belfast entitled "A changing perception of marine organosulfur cycling". The audience was very interested in knowing how the latest findings from our research group have challenged previous held beliefs about DMSP cycling and what are the future directions to expand our knowledge of the metabolism of this hugely abundant organosulfur compound. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Led a team of students to perform market research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Prof. Todd and Dr Bermejo Martinez led a team of students to perform market research on the project 'High-value chemicals from seaweed' as part of iTeams competition funded by East of England 'Enabling Innovation: Research to Application' (EIRA). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Maintaining a 'Jonathan Todd Research Group' twitter page |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | We run a popular twitter group @ToddLabUEA where we post updates on our awards and successes, as well as retweet interesting or relevant articles and messages from other twitter accounts. We currently have 202 followers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://twitter.com/ToddLabUEA |
Description | Marvellous Microbes |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Activity stall called 'Marvellous Microbes' for Norwich Science Festival |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | Media coverage for Liu et al 'Proliferation of hydrocarbon-degrading microbes at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | - A list of print articles about this paper: Newsweek- https://www.newsweek.com/bacteria-oil-bottom-mariana-trench-1394380 Independent- https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/bacteria-oil-eating-mariana-trench-uea-pollution-a8866911.html Breitbart- https://www.breitbart.com/news/oil-eating-bacteria-found-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean/ Business Insider- https://www.businessinsider.com/deep-ocean-microbes-eat-oil-could-help-clean-up-spills-2019-4?r=US&IR=T World Economic Forum- https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/oil-eating-microbes-found-in-the-deepest-part-of-the-ocean-could-help-clean-up-man-made-oil-spills/ RT- https://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/311589-hallan-bacterias-degradan-hidrocarburos-fosa-marianas The Telegraph India- https://www.telegraphindia.com/science/unique-oil-eating-bacteria-found-in-world-s-deepest-ocean-trench/cid/1688760 C&en- https://cen.acs.org/biological-chemistry/biochemistry/Mariana-Trench-hosts-hydrocarbon-munching/97/i18 Yahoo News- https://uk.news.yahoo.com/unique-oil-eating-bacteria-discovered-124447024.html MSN- https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/offbeat/unique-oil-eating-bacteria-discovered-in-worlds-deepest-ocean-trench/ar-BBVWreD Hindustantimes- https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/unique-oil-eating-bacteria-found-in-world-s-deepest-ocean-trench/story-NceDHzVsoEBj73b9F1mTFO.html Ekai- http://www.skai.gr/news/environment/article/401793/mikrovia-pou-trone-petrelaio-anakalufthikan-stin-tafro-ton-marianon/?utm_source=rss_news_environment&utm_campaign=skai200905190000&utm_medium=rss Business Telegraph- https://www.businesstelegraph.co.uk/unique-oil-eating-bacteria-discovered-in-worlds-deepest-ocean-trench/ Alghadeer TV channel- http://en.alghadeer.tv/archives/2788 Notizie Scientifiche- https://notiziescientifiche.it/trovati-batteri-che-producono-idrocarburi-e-altri-che-se-ne-cibano-sul-fondo-della-fossa-delle-marianne/ Naaju.com- https://naaju.com/bacteria-that-eat-oil-discovered-at-the-bottom-of-the-mariana-trench-36000-feet-below-the-surface/ Gurumed- https://www.gurumed.org/2019/04/14/des-bactries-amatrices-dhydrocarbures-ont-t-dcouvertes-dans-la-partie-la-plus-profonde-de-locan/ Codigoculto- https://codigooculto.com/2019/04/bacterias-que-comen-petroleo-son-descubiertas-en-la-fosa-de-las-marianas/ Xinhua- http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-04/14/c_137975888.htm China.org.cn- http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2019-04/14/content_74679504.htm Yahoo Finance- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/scientists-oil-eating-superbacteria-bottom-230000863.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9iaW9tZWRjZW50cmFsLmFsdG1ldHJpYy5jb20vZGV0YWlscy81ODg5ODcwMC9uZXdz&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACfsG0CMIMF0Wf4NByXOMJyfqhQ9hTKRVa5SPktOf5-XI_VM-ZVl-rYIc4apHezdBW3wEABmVe-zg4j2CFFFVsVMCQYMM6XKlzteE5nCAUPeIzKwu_jNs_3_kcFzvl41cMejJt4dKxTvx2y0ATY_0OtmE6u2BalySQVJkDGU-IFo Theweeklyn- https://www.theweeklyn.com/2019/04/12/bacteria-that-eat-oil-discovered-at-bottom-of-mariana-trench-36000-feet-below-surface/ PrinceGeorgeNow- https://www.princegeorgenow.com/watercooler/news/news/Science/Unique_oil_eating_bacteria_found_in_Pacific_Ocean_trench/#fs_73987 New Atlas- https://newatlas.com/oil-eating-bacteria-mariana-trench/59279/ TheDispatch- https://www.thedispatch.in/unique-oil-eating-bacteria-found-in-worlds-deepest-ocean-trench/ EurekAlert- https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-04/uoea-uoe041119.php PhysOrg- https://phys.org/news/2019-04-unique-oil-eating-bacteria-world-deepest.html ScienceDaily- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190412085226.htm Tech times- https://www.techtimes.com/articles/241432/20190413/oil-eating-bacteria-found-mariana-trench-key-removing-ocean-pollutants.htm Science Alert- https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-found-a-strange-oil-eating-bacteria-in-the-ocean-s-deepest-trench NRP- http://www.nrp.ac.uk/hydrocarbon-cycling-bottom-mariana-trench/ KelownaNow- https://www.kelownanow.com/watercooler/news/news/Science/Unique_oil_eating_bacteria_found_in_Pacific_Ocean_trench/ Technology Networks- https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/oil-eating-bacteria-discovered-in-mariana-trench-318187 Geek- https://www.geek.com/news/oil-eating-bacteria-found-in-worlds-deepest-ocean-trench-1782880/ Terradaily- http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Unique_oil_eating_bacteria_found_in_worlds_deepest_ocean_trench_999.html Laboratory News- https://www.labnews.co.uk/news/oil-degrading-bacterium-15-04-2019/ Astrobiology News- http://astrobiology.com/2019/04/post-5.html NowScience- https://www.nowscience.co.uk/single-post/2019/04/14/Oil-eating-bacteria-discovered-at-the-bottom-of-the-Mariana-Trench The Black Chalk- https://theblackchalk.com/everything-you-have-to-know-about-the-oil-eating-bacteria-found-in-the-deepest-part-mariana-trench/ Sociedad- https://www.clarin.com/sociedad/zanja-submarina-descubren-bacterias-alimentan-petroleo-purifican-agua_0_tvdRyNWL2.html Naked Science- https://naked-science.ru/article/biology/v-marianskoy-vpadine-naydeny Scinexx- https://www.scinexx.de/news/biowissen/marianengraben-erdoelfresser-geben-raetsel-auf/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+scinexx+%28scinexx+%7C+Das+Wissensmagazin%29 UPI- https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2019/04/12/Oil-eating-bacteria-found-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean/6521555073838/ Sky nightly- http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Oil-eating_bacteria_found_at_the_bottom_of_the_ocean_999.html Zap- https://zap.aeiou.pt/bacterias-comem-petroleo-profundo-ocenos-252070 Space daily- http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Oil-eating_bacteria_found_at_the_bottom_of_the_ocean_999.html 7thSpace-http://7thspace.com/headlines/799202/unique_oil_eating_bacteria_found_in_worlds_deepest_ocean_trench.html Bullfax- https://www.bullfax.com/?q=node-scientists-find-oil-eating-superbacteria-bottom-ocean Technology networks- https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/oil-eating-bacteria-discovered-in-mariana-trench-318187 - A list of Youtube/news videos about this paper: Tomonews- http://us.tomonews.com/new-oil-eating-bacteria-found-beneath-the-mariana-trench-3813971 Sharjah24- https://sharjah24.ae/en/studies-research/studies/182727/New-oil-eating-bacteria-found-beneath-the-Mariana-Trench Labroots- https://www.labroots.com/trending/microbiology/14633/oil-eating-microbe-found-depths-mariana-trench |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Media coverage for Ma Teresa Pellicer Martinez et al paper 'Mechanisms of iron- and O2-sensing by the [4Fe-4S] cluster of the global iron regulator RirA.' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A UEA press release to accompany Ma Teresa Pellicer Martinez et al., Mechanisms of iron- and O2-sensing by the [4Fe-4S] cluster of the global iron regulator RirA, which was published in E-life this week. Jon Todd and Andy Johnston are co-authors. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/-/how-nitrogen-fixing-bacteria-sense-iron |
Description | Media coverage for Williams et al 'Bacteria are important dimethylsulfoniopropionate producers in coastal sediments.' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | - A list of articles about this paper: Also many newspapers and online magazines: https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/education/norfolk-coastal-mud-could-hold-key-climate-change-1-6222902 https://phys.org/news/2019-08-coastal-mud-key-climate-cooling.html http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2019/08/23/these-coastal-mud-bacteria-make-a-chemical-that-cools-our-climate-and-smells-like-the-ocean/ https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/coastal-mud-bacteria-important-in-cooling-the-climate-322977 https://www.enn.com/articles/59286-how-coastal-mud-holds-the-key-to-climate-cooling-gas https://www.earth.com/news/coastal-mud-cool-climate/ https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-08/uoea-hcm081619.php https://fastinews.com/2019/08/23/these-coastal-mud-bacteria-make-a-chemical-that-cools-our-climate-and-smells-like-the-ocean/ https://www.inverse.com/article/58560-marsh-mud-anti-greenhouse-gas-climate https://www.ecomagazine.com/news/science/how-coastal-mud-holds-the-key-to-climate-cooling-gas |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | http://www.uea.ac.uk/about/-/how-coastal-mud-holds-the-key-to-climate-cooling-gas. |
Description | Microbial Cycling of Volatile Organic Compounds conference, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK, May 2022 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at the Microbiology Society Annual meeting, Belfast, UK, April 2022. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Microbiology workshop for Year 10s 'Biology Unlocked' summer school |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Microbiology workshop and practical sessions for young future microbiologists ran with Dr. Beth Williams. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Organosulfur cycling by Harmful algae |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at the Royal Society Theo Murphy Meeting on Algal holobionts. Reading, UK, May 2023 to present work and network with PI studying holobiome research. Discussions resulted in a coordinated review article on the field submitted to New Phytologist. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Radio interviews for Liu et al 'Proliferation of hydrocarbon-degrading microbes at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | - A list of radio interviews about this paper Sputnik- https://sputniknews.com/radio_brave_new_world/201905051074724034-oil-eating-bacteria/ BBC Norfolk Paul Ross late late early early show on talkradio in London |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Radio interviews for Williams et al 'Bacteria are important dimethylsulfoniopropionate producers in coastal sediments.' |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | - Radio interviews about this paper On radio Norfolk On the naked Scientist https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/short/new-producer-climate-cooling-gas-found. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Talk at the MMEG on this project |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | ~160 people attended the John Innes Centre for the Molecular Microbiology Ecology Group conference, at which Beth Williams presented for 15 minutes on the outcomes of this project and others within the lab. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Talk at the Microbial Cycling of Volatile Organic compounds: biogeochemistry to biotechnology meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Invited talk in the Microbial Cycling of Volatile Organic Compounds: Biogeochemistry to Biotechnology meeting to present the latest findings from our research group that have challenged previous held beliefs in the DMSP field. The talk drawn much attention from the audience and possible future collaborations were discussed with group leaders from other Research institutes. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Talk at the Microbiology Society Annual meeting 2021 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at the Microbial Society Annual meeting 2021at Birmingham to present advances on the molecular biology and environmental significance of DMSP. Discussions with other scientists about future possible collaborations were established. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Talk at the University of the Balearic Islands |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Invited talk at the University of the Balearic Islands for undergraduate and postgraduate students and PI, which represented an excellent opportunity to discuss possible future collaborations between our research groups. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Talk on 'Secrets of the Seaside' for Lowestoft First Light Festival |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Public lecture based on organosulfur cycling, marine microbiology and climate research conducted at Todd's lab. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Winning 'Best Presentation' for a talk 'The role of bacteria in organosulfur cycling in saltmarsh sediments' at MMEG in Milton Keynes, UK in December 2019. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Gave a 15 minute presentation on 'The role of bacteria in organosulfur cycling in saltmarsh sediments' at the MMEG in Milton Keynes, UK in December 2019. Talk was awarded one of four 'Best Presentation' awards. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |