Annual Report 2011
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Annual Report 2011 DEEP SEAFLOOR • DEEP BIOSPHERE • DEEP TIME & ROOTS OF LIFE CENTRE FOR Geobiology Table of Contents Director’s comment ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Research highlights 500 million years of geo-biosphere coevolution....................................................................... 4 From Geobiology to Biotechnology ..................................................................................................... 6 ROV on the Roadmap..................................................................................................................................... 7 Earth’s mid-life Carbon crisis and the rise of Atmospheric Oxygen ......................... 9 ...................................... Sub-seafloor storage of CO2: from basic to applied research 10 Using Phylogenomics to reveal ancient mollusc evolutionary relationships ....... 11 Research themes ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Organization ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Centre funded projects ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Research projects ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Workshops, seminars and short courses ............................................................................................................................................ 18 Public outreach ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Staff, funding and expenses........................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Selected Publications ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 2 DirecTor’s COMMENT The Centre for Geobiology (CGB) passed knowledge about this environment in order its mid-term evaluation in 2011. The inter- for government leaders to make informed national panel that evaluated the Centre socially relevant decisions. In a wide range of concluded that the establishment of CGB areas from new process-relevant enzymes to had been successful, and that the Centre’s new metal source, the deep-sea is becoming performance in the fi rst three years had been the newest frontier for resource prospecting. “exceptionally good”. For the core group of As stakeholders and government leaders researchers that have stayed committed to raise questions about these resources and the the Centre’s development it was rewarding environment within the deep-sea parts of to read the many positive comments by these the Norwegian exclusive economic zone, the international experts: knowledge and know-how that are available “The Centre has done an exemplary job at CGB are suddenly relevant. Within the first of focusing in the early years on establish- half of the Centre’s lifetime the significant ing a strong research group and excellent invest ment in long-term basic research fund- analytical facilities, as well as participating ing provided by UiB and NFR is paying off. in international science projects, and attract- When CGB, in five years’ time, ends its ing a new group of students to participate in term as a Centre of Excellence it is important integrated and interdisciplinary science”. that the deep-sea competencies and know- As in ski jumping, the challenge now how that have been developed are carried on. is to transform the speed from the take-off As we see it, this would best be done through ramp into a long and stable flight and then to the establishment of a national deep-sea sub- prepare for a safe landing. mergence facility. CGB is therefore leading As we approach mid-term there are a an initiative to establish and develop such a number of positive developments. The young facility. Recently, this initiative was selected researchers now provide a significant lift to to be on the national roadmap for research the scientific discussions and production at infrastructure by the Norwegian Research the Centre. Their research papers are being Council. Although funding has yet not been accepted for publication in high-ranking provided, a national deep-submergence facil- journals. In this report we highlight a paper ity is now within reach. recently published in Science by one of our young researchers to exemplify this exciting trend. The curiosity-driven research that forms Table of Contents the basis for the Centre’s activities is now re- Director’s comment ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 sulting in a portfolio of more applied research Research highlights 500 million years of geo-biosphere coevolution....................................................................... 4 projects. Only a few years ago deep-sea From Geobiology to Biotechnology ..................................................................................................... 6 research was regarded as an exotic academic activity. Today there is a growing demand for ROV on the Roadmap..................................................................................................................................... 7 Earth’s mid-life Carbon crisis and the rise of Atmospheric Oxygen ......................... 9 ...................................... Sub-seafloor storage of CO2: from basic to applied research 10 Using Phylogenomics to reveal ancient mollusc evolutionary relationships ....... 11 Research themes ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Organization ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Centre funded projects ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Research projects ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Workshops, seminars and short courses ............................................................................................................................................ 18 Public outreach ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Staff, funding and expenses........................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Selected Publications ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 3 A thick succession of Cambrian through Lower Carboniferous marine sedimentary rocks exposed in Montana. These rocks record the coming and going of shallow seas, which this study shows affects both biodiversity and patterns of sedimentation. 500 MILLION YEARS OF GEO-BIOSPHERE COEVOLUTION In a paper published in the prestigious journal Science, CGB research the deep past. Understanding the coming suggests that long-term changes in the diversity of marine animals and going of major groups of organisms, have been linked to the earth’s geological evolution over the last including mass extinction events, can help 500 million years. us understand long-term consequences of current and future environmental changes. Charles Darwin, an avid geologist himself, More than a century would pass before fos- Still, Darwin’s doubts have lingered. devoted an entire chapter of The Origin of sil compilations were used to reconstruct Paleobiologists are legitimately concerned Species to “The Imperfection of the Geologi- the evolutionary history of Life on Earth. about how biodiversity patterns observed cal record”. He thus pre-empted any criticism Today, the Paleobiology Database in the fossil record are biased by the fickle that the sudden appearance of species in the (paleodb.org), with over a million fossil nature of sedimentary rock preservation fossil record would disprove his model of occurrences and counting, is the definitive and by our sampling of those rocks. Indeed, slow, gradual evolution by natural selection. source of data on biodiversity changes