The Marine and Polar Microbes and Pollutants (MP2) group focuses its research on the anthropogenic organic component of the carbon and nutrient cycles at regional and global scale. This research is focused on the marine environment, from coasts to global oceans, and in polar environments, mainly in Antarctica.
The research approach combines the use of intensive field work in oceanographic campaigns, combining chemical analysis of anthropogenic compounds in seawater and organisms (plankton, bacteria, krill), characterization of the sources (atmospheric, currents…), the biogeochemistry of anthropogenic organic compounds, and the microbial-pollutant mutual interactions addressed through metagenomic and molecular approaches. The group is international leader on Oceanic and Antarctic research, with contributions addressing the transport, occurrence and fate of anthropogenic chemicals in all oceans, the role of biodegradation mitigating marine pollution, the comparison of the fate of plastics and plasticizers, and the influence of organic pollutants on microbiome’s structure and function. The research group has also made important contributions on the atmospheric deposition of organic compounds in the oceans and the polar regions (both Arctic and Antarctica).
The research group combines scientists with expertise on environmental organic chemistry and microbial biogeochemistry and environmental genomics, and its evolution in recent years has involved the merging of chemical and metagenomic approaches to study the biogeochemistry of anthropogenic organic chemicals, their biodegradation by natural microbiomes and their effects on the major anthropogenic cycles of carbon and phosphorus.
- The general scientific objective of the “Marine and Polar Microbes and Pollutants (MP2)” group is to characterize the anthropogenic component of the carbon and nutrient cycles and its biogeochemical relevance at regional and global scale, with especial emphasis in the marine and polar regions.
- Characterization and relevance of atmosphere-ocean exchange of organic matter and nutrients.
- Long-range transport of organic matter from land (urban, rural) to the oceans and Antarctica.
- Influence of atmospheric inputs of anthropogenic organic compounds on microbial communities as bases of marine food-webs and engineers of the biogeochemistry of the oceans
- Microbial biodegradation of anthropogenic organic compounds.
- Sources, transport and biogeochemistry of organic pollutants in Antarctica.
- Plastics and plasticizers in the ocean. Comparative biogeochemistry and role of microbial degradation.
Papel de las comunidades microbianas marinas en la persistencia de contaminantes orgánicos
PID2024-162785NB-I00
El proyecto ROMAC estudia la persistencia y el impacto de los contaminantes orgánicos emergentes (CEC) en los ecosistemas marinos, enfocándose específicamente en tres familias de compuestos altamente tóxicos y persistentes: PFAS, OPE y el recientemente detectado 6PPD. Ante la falta de conocimiento científico sobre cómo se degradan estas sustancias no hidrocarburadas en condiciones reales, el estudio analiza cómo influyen los estilos de vida microbianos (libres o adheridos a partículas) y las condiciones ambientales (como la disponibilidad de nutrientes) en su descomposición. El objetivo principal es cuantificar estas tasas de biodegradación y esclarecer los mecanismos biológicos y ambientales que controlan el destino de estos contaminantes en el océano.
Para lograrlo, el proyecto adopta un enfoque interdisciplinario que combina experimentos de laboratorio con campañas de campo en gradientes naturales del mar Mediterráneo y las islas Canarias. Mediante el uso de técnicas analíticas innovadoras de última generación —como la espectometría de masas no dirigida, transcriptómica y el desarrollo de un nuevo método de medición in situ— se identificarán los microorganismos y las vías metabólicas activas en la degradación de los CEC. Con estos resultados, la investigación busca generar conocimiento clave para optimizar las políticas ambientales y respaldar una gestión sostenible y eficaz de los recursos oceánicos.
Proyecto PID2024-162785NB-I00 financiado por MICIU/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 y por FEDER, UE
Start Date: 01/09/2025 – End Date: 31/08/2029
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