InterDeg

Macroalgae are major primary producers in marine environments, with a global biomass estimated at several hundred megatons. Microorganisms play a crucial role in the carbon cycle by remineralizing a large part of this organic matter stored mainly in the form of glycans. Hundreds of microbial species of different ecotypes co-exist, between which metabolic interactions are established but remain poorly documented. This project aims to decipher the nature, dynamics and plasticity of inter-species interactions established within microbial communities degrading alginate, the majority glycan of brown algae, present both in algal tissues and secreted in the seawater. We integrate data from bacterial physiology, metabolomics, imaging, genomics and microbial ecology, both on natural communities and on strains cultivated in the laboratory. Understanding these metabolic interactions is fundamental to understanding the functions of microbial consortia in a natural environment.