In her MarCo project Dimitra aims to enrich and characterize marine complete ammonia oxidizer (comammox) organisms. To date, comammox elude identification in marine ecosystems. A combination of a novel, activity-based method for the specific detection of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms, BONCAT labeling, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting will be employed for the identification and enrichment of novel, marine comammox species. Furthermore, the metabolic potential of the enriched organisms will be identified using state-of-the-art metagenomics, while activity assays and microrespirometry will provide their in-depth physiological characterization unraveling the driving forces shaping the nitrifying communities in the ocean.
