Chair in Zoology
- About
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- Email Address
- u.witte@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 274413
- Office Address
Cruickshanks Bdg.
room 2.14
St. Machar Drive
Aberdeen
- School/Department
- School of Biological Sciences
- Research
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Research Overview
Benthic ecosystem functioning, anthropogenic impacts and climate change
The Witte group investigates the functioning of benthic marine ecosystems and benthic-pelagic coupling from the deep ocean floor to the intertidal, with a current focus on consequences of both anthropogenic activities and climate change.
This often includes the development of new research technologies, and one focus of ongoing work is the development of a pressurised coring, incubation and cultivation system for the study of biogeochemical processes and piezophile microorganisms from the deep seafloor under varying environmental conditions (pH, T, O2 etc).
Sea ice is a unique feature of polar marine ecosystems and the fact that small temperature differences can have large effects on the extent and thickness of this sea ice makes polar marine ecosystems particularly sensitive to climate change. The group’s work on climate change impacts on benthic ecosystem functioning is therefore centred in both the Arctic and the Antarctic peninsula where change is particularly rapid.
In many cases, stable isotope tracing experiments, often carried out in situ at the deep-sea floor, help us track the pathway of organic matter, in particular C and N, through the benthic community and thus understand the spatial and temporal dynamics of biological and geochemical transformations of matter in benthic and benthopelagic foodwebs.
But we also work closer to home: Aberdeen is often referred to as the ‘oil capital of Europe’, and with hydrocarbon extraction now occurring down to 1100 m in the Faroe Shetland Channel, a need arises to understand the consequences of accidental releases in Scottish deep water environments in order to improve monitoring and optimize response measures after a spill. Several ongoing projects therefore investigate the rates and pathways of hydrocarbon degradation in Scottish Waters, as well as the microorganisms involved.
Funding and Grants
Transformation of Antarctic Benthic Food Webs on the Larsen Ice Shelf following Loss of Sea-Ice Cover (TABOSI). 2019-2021. Polarstern Nebennutzerantrag. PI Witte.
Benthic biodiversity under Antarctic ice-shelves - baseline assessment of the seabed exposed by the 2017 calving of the Larsen-C Ice Shelf. NERC urgency application; 2018-19, CoI, PI Linse.
Continuous observation of deep-sea benthic community structure and benthic-pelagic coupling throughout the polar night and summer ice melt. NERC Arctic office. PI Witte 2017-2018
Using the intrinsic recovery capabilities of deep-sea and polar ecosystems to reduce the impact of accidental oil release. NERC Oil and Gas DTP. PI Witte, 2014-2018
Increasing oil spill preparedness for Scottish deep waters - the role of sediments in a deep water oil spill. MarCRF. PI Witte with A. Gallego and J. Anderson. 2014-2018
Fate and flow of oil carbon in the marine food web – towards efficient monitoring of oil contamination. NERC CASE PhD studenthsip 2014- 2018. PI Witte
The natural capacity for oil degradation of marine environments. NERC PI Witte with J. Anderson and E. Gontikaki. £98,871, 2013-2015.
ArcDeep: Deep-sea ecosystem functioning in a changing climate: consequences of changing sea-ice cover for Arctic benthic ecosystems . NERC standard grant proposal; PI Witte, with F. Kuepper. £508,490, Appr. 2013 – 2017
MAC-EXP: A pressurised coring, experimentation and cultivation system for deep-sea sedimentary ecosystems. NERC Technology-led standard grant.2012-2014. Lead: Witte (Aberdeen), with Parkes, (Cardiff). Awarded. £552000. 2013- 2017.
PharmaSea: Planet Ocean – Streamlining the Marine Biodiscovery Pipeline. EC FP7-KBBE-2012-6(PI: M Jaspers. Total volume 10 Mio €. Aberdeen: € 725000. 2012- 2017
"The role of micronutrients in deep-sea carbon cycling". The Leverhulme Trust, 2007 -2010
Bacterial Diversity and Carbon Turnover at the Abyssal Seafloor –proposal to apply 454-based tag sequencing technology to deep-sea sediments. Keck foundation – 2008/ 2009.
"Rates and pathways of carbon cycling at the abyssal sea floor: a long-term, in situ experimental study". NERC, 2007-2010
HERMIONE –– Hotspot Ecosystem Research at Continental Margins; April 2009- September 2012.
Carnegie Trust – Development of Scottish resources for seafloor biogeochemical process studies. August 2008 – July 2010. £29800
"Nutrient regeneration in North Sea coastal sediments". FRF, 2006-2009
"Carbon turnover and trophic relationships in theabyssal Pacific", NERC-LSMSF, 2007/08
COBO - Towards a Coastal Ocan Benthic Observatory (EC) 2004 - 2007
- Teaching
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Teaching Responsibilities
SX1015 The Oceans and Society in a changing environment. 6th century course. Course coordinator and coordiantor theme 1.
BI 1006 BUGS (Biology for Undergraduates) tutor Marine Biology
BI25Z4 Ocean Biology
ZO3306 Marine Ecology and Ecosystems
BI39Z1 Marine Ecology Florida field course
ZO4542 Marine Benthic Ecology
BI4517, BI4017 SBS Honours Essay
BI4016 SBS Honours Project
- Publications
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Page 1 of 10 Results 1 to 10 of 94
Stable isotope values (δ13C, δ15N) of macroalgal communities at Loch Creran and its relevance for elucidating sources of macroalgal organic carbon in fjordic sedimentary systems
Botanica Marina, vol. 66, no. 5, pp. 353-371Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/bot-2023-0035
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Modeling Microplastic Transport in the Marine Environment: Testing Empirical Models of Particle Terminal Sinking Velocity for Irregularly Shaped Particles
ACS ES and T Water, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 984-995Contributions to Journals: ArticlesChronic environmental perturbation influences microbial community assembly patterns
Environmental Science & Technology, vol. 56, no. 4, pp. 2300-2311Contributions to Journals: ArticlesLiving benthic foraminiferal assemblages of a transect in the Rockall Trough (NE Atlantic)
Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, vol. 171, 103509Contributions to Journals: ArticlesNo strong evidence of priming effects on the degradation of terrestrial plant detritus in estuarine sediments
Frontiers in Marine Science, vol. 6, 327Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00327/full#supplementary-material
- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00327
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/12634/1/No_Strong_Evidence_of_Priming_Effects_on_the_Degradation_of_Terrestrial_Plant_Detritus_in_Estuarine_Sediments.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
On the Effects of Acid Pre-treatment on the Elemental and Isotopic Composition of Lightly- and Heavily-calcified Marine Invertebrates
Ocean Science Journal, vol. 54, no. 2, pp. 257-270Contributions to Journals: ArticlesPressure and temperature effects on deep‐sea hydrocarbon‐degrading microbial communities in subarctic sediments
MicrobiologyOpen, vol. 8, no. 6, e00768Contributions to Journals: ArticlesCharacterisation of microbial communities of drill cuttings piles from offshore oil and gas installations
Marine Pollution Bulletin, vol. 142, pp. 169-177Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.03.014
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/12147/1/Marine_Pollution_Bulletin_Final.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
Effects of Superdispersant-25 on the sorption dynamics of naphthalene and phenanthrene in marine sediments
Journal of Soils and Sediments, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 1576-1586Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-018-2174-1
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/13176/1/JSS_Accepted_Manuscript.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
The effect of chemical dispersant concentration on hydrocarbon mobility through permeable North-East Scotland sands
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, vol. 214, pp. 72-81Contributions to Journals: Articles