ERC REFRESH programme

@ercrefresh.bsky.social

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Investigating the biological role of dissolved organic matter in freshwater ecosystems. Isotopes, omics, molecular biology, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. 🧪💦🌿🐟🐌

PI setting up for 48 h sampling at our chalk stream site.

Meet the team! Drs Charlotte Briddon and @jameslmcdonald.bsky.social, working on setting up the motors to drive the paddles in our warming (bubble wrap jackets, elevated higher in the water column) and warming plus high (double the rpm) flow velocity experiment. Further along, Dr @acastrocastellon.bsky.social from our @ukri.org NERC QUANTUM programme is setting up the jars for our ambient temperature with stirring experiment in this classic chalk stream. The catchment comprises calcium carbonate rich chalk, flows to the river are dominated by groundwater and deeper throughflow, and the stream ecosystem supports Ranunculus spp. (water crowfoot), Callitriche spp. (starwort) and Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum (watercress) along with a native brown trout population. How will biotic response rates to isotope dosing of 13C15N labelled compounds in this alkaline, and gin-clear stream contrast with those in a more turbid clay stream (experiment 2) and dystrophic peatland stream (experiment 3). We look forward to finding out!