This project aims to investigate how marine sponges and ascidian produce the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide.
Using environmental surveys, microbiome analyses and experimental ecology, this project will reveal how microbial symbionts in sponges and ascidian produce nitrous oxide and how this production responds to environmental change. It is anticipated that increases in nutrients and temperature will increase nitrous oxide production and raises the number of sponges and ascidians in our oceans. This research is expected to significantly enhance our understanding of how our marine environment contributes to the global production of an important greenhouse gas and will enable more accurate predictions of future nitrous oxide emissions.
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