Details of Award
NERC Reference : NER/T/S/2003/00714
Natural products from marine actinomycetes that attract and kill Ulva zoospores.
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Dr K Tait, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UNLISTED
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor M Camara, University of Nottingham, School of Life Sciences
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr I Joint, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth Marine Lab
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor P Williams, University of Nottingham, School of Life Sciences
- Grant held at:
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UNLISTED
- Science Area:
- Marine
- Overall Classification:
- Marine
- ENRIs:
- Natural Resource Management
- Biodiversity
- Science Topics:
- Environmental Microbiology
- Population Ecology
- Community Ecology
- Environmental biotechnology
- Abstract:
- We have isolated a number of marine actinomycete strains that show significnt potential for biotechnical exploitation as a novel means of controlling biofouling. The growth of animals and plants on ships and marine structures is a mutli-million dollar problem. Current methods to control biofouling rely on toxic chemicals to kill the fouling organisms - but these compounds also have detrimental effect on the wider marine ecosystems. There is a strong need foor novel ways to control biofouling. We have isolate a number of marine bacteria that have the interesting property of attracting and killing the reproductive stages of Ulva - a major biofouling green alga. That is, this is a 'fatal attraction'. One of our strains have been identified by 16S rRNA sequencing as a Rhodoccus sp., most closely related to Rhodococcus erythropolis. Screening of 20 Rhodococcus type strains shows that the attraction/algicidal proporty is not a common feature of Rhodococcus; our isolates appear to have unique properties. We propose to purify and characterise the chemical molecules that are responsible for attracting and killing the zoospores. If the molecules prove to be stable, we will actively engage industrial partners in knowledge transfer to develop new approaches to solve the problem of marine biofouling stable, we will actively engage industrial partners in knowledge transfer to develop new approaches to solve the problem of marine biofouling.
- NERC Reference:
- NER/T/S/2003/00714
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Directed Pre FEC
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Marine & Freshwater Microbial
This grant award has a total value of £30,487
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - T&S | Total - Staff | Total - Other Costs | Total - Indirect Costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| £857 | £13,518 | £9,895 | £6,218 |
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