Carbonate dissolution by euendolithe cyanobacterium (2023)

Bioerosion is the process of destruction of rocks by living organisms. The bioerosion of biogenic carbonates by so-called "euendolithic" cyanobacteria (which live in rocks) is a major but poorly quantified process, causing, among other things, the disintegration of coral reefs. Euendolitic cyanobacteria are also considered scourges of bivalve shells, particularly those of economic interest. Due to oceanic acidification (linked to the increase in atmospheric CO2), the rate of carbonate bioerosion is increasing rapidly and alarmingly.
This project proposes to explore the process of carbonate bioerosion through a laboratory study of four strains of euendolithic cyanobacteria. It aims to establish the mechanism of bioerosion through the study of (1) the metabolic processes allowing bioerosion; (2) the influence of pH and the origin of the carbonate substrate on the rate of bioerosion; (3) the role of organic matter produced by euendolithic bacteria in the erosion of carbonates.
The corpus of results will serve as a basis for establishing a model of carbonate bioerosion by euendolitic cyanobacteria, which will take into account all the macro-parameters (environments, substrate) and microscopic (bacteria metabolism, raw materials organic) of the system. The results of this project can be integrated into modeling of CO2 emission processes.

environmental sciences (sciences of the universe), geosciences, multidisciplinary (sciences of the universe)

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