The $5.2 million grant will allow the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to use the latest technology and laboratory techniques to shed light on microbes, according to a press release. Microbes are tiny creatures that produce chemical reactions that drive the Earth’s marine biogeochemical cycles.
The projects will look for answers to questions regarding the flow of nutrients through microbial food webs—who eats what, where, and when—and the resulting biogeochemical transformations.
“The support of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is critical to enabling a fundamental understanding of microbes’ contribution to ocean health and productivity,” says WHOI President and Director Susan Avery. “There is so much more to know about marine microbes’ genetic diversity, how they secure nutrients, what other organisms they interact with, and the biogeochemical changes they bring about in the ocean. These new projects will contribute toward the ultimate goal of a comprehensive understanding of marine microbial communities.”