This themehas been and will stay an important theme for BIO. The research includes all the different aspects dealt with within BIO, including production and loss (mainly virus infection related), physiological status, diversity and function of primary and secondary producers, as well as research on bio-essential trace metals and CO2 in the ocean and the their various interactions.

For this theme, BIO contributes strongly in sea-going research. Last year 2 major proposals were granted including ship-time with R/V Pelagia (ZKO-Oceans GEOSECS-revisited and STRATIPHYT). There is a strong focus for the coming 5 years on the North Atlantic (ZKO projects), the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean (IPY-Geotraces, IPY-Virpol).

BIO studies the interaction between benthic invertebrates (sponges and corals; cold deep water and tropical shallow water reefs) and their associated prokaryotes in relation to environmental conditions (trophic status, disturbance, CO2) in order to understand the diversity and function of the associated prokarytes (WOTRO-EKP, collaboration with NIOO-CEME).

Recently, the study of the virus ecology in the marine sediments has started (projectname) through a PhD project (Portugese funding) and collaboration with our NIOZ colleagues in Yerseke.

BIO contributes to the long-term time series of the NIOZ (projectname I), and will continue to build on the legacy of studying population dynamics and trophic interactions of different microbial players (viruses, bacteria and phytoplankton) in relation to the impact of changing conditions (i.e. type of nutrient limiting algal growth, climate change induced factors such as temperature, pCO2, irradiance, storm frequency).

The carbon budget of the Wadden Sea is monitored using a permanent measuring mast on the island of Griend. BIO is involved in a ZKO-Wadden Sea project to set-up a coupled ecological-hydrodynamical model.(projectname II)

BIO focuses on the understanding of the impact of global warming and oceanic acidification by its research on the ocean carbon cycle and exchange of carbon dioxide. In the North Sea, the CO2 buffering capacity continues to be investigated (ALW project projectname I), whereas in the Southern Ocean the invasion of anthropogenic CO2 in the surface waters and the deep ocean is measured in collaboration with AWI. The role, response and impact of microbial production and mortality are studied in relation to climate variability (e.g. ZKO-Oceans STRATIPHYT; EU-EPOCA). The effects of trace metal availability on primary productivity (hence CO2 sequestration) is investigated in the field as well as in the laboratory. 

A project  (ERSEM-GETM) in collaboration with CEFAS, UK, involves a coupled ecological-model for the North Sea to study the effect of climate change on the primary production and the CO2 buffering capacity. This model will be used to forecast the consequences of climate change on the ecosystem.

The main contribution of BIO is the assessment of the pro- and eukaryotic and viral diversity, both phylogenetically and functionally. Trophic interactions are studied in relation to ecologically relevant environmental variables.(Project Name  I)

Furthermore, research is performed towards the development of methods to assess the efficiency of ballast water treatment (installations on board ships as well as the role and effect of invasive species due to ballast water on biodiversity. 

Given the research ambitions of BIO, it is logical that most, if not all, biological projects within BIO fall in theme 5.