MSc. Jussi Vesamäki presents his doctoral research: Microbial degradation of terrestrial organic matter and microplastics in boreal lakes.
ABSTRACT: Microbes play an important role in recycling terrestrially derived carbon in lake ecosystems. In addition to natural sources of organic carbon (plant litter, lignin, carbohydrates), plastics offer a novel source of terrestrial organic matter for lake microbes, potentially supporting aquatic food webs. The aim of my thesis is to shed light on microbial utilization of different substrates across the recalcitrance gradient (natural versus synthetic polymers) and to determine factors affecting carbon's biochemical fate.
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