![Professor Ursula Witte Professor Ursula Witte](/img/200x200/staffpages/uploads/nhy355/witte.jpeg?size=9483)
Chair in Zoology
- About
-
- 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
-
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
-
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
-
Page 1 of 2 Results 1 to 50 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: ArticlesUnravelling the versatile feeding and metabolic strategies of the cold-water ecosystem engineer Spongosorites coralliophaga (Stephens, 1915)
Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, vol. 141, pp. 71-82Contributions to Journals: ArticlesAdvective pore-water transport of hydrocarbons in North East Scotland coastal sands
Environmental Science and Pollution Research , vol. 25, no. 28, pp. 28445-28459Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-2815-3
Hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in deep-water subarctic sediments (Faroe-Shetland Channel)
Journal of Applied Microbiology, vol. 125, no. 4, pp. 1040-1053Contributions to Journals: ArticlesEffect of spatial origin and hydrocarbon composition on bacterial consortia community structure and hydrocarbon biodegradation rates
FEMS Microbiology Ecology, vol. 94, no. 9, pp. fiy127-fiy127Contributions to Journals: ArticlesBacterial Community Response in Deep Faroe-Shetland Channel Sediments Following Hydrocarbon Entrainment With and Without Dispersant Addition
Frontiers in Marine Science: Deep-Sea Environments and Ecology, vol. 5, pp. 1-17Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00159
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/10462/1/fmars_05_00159.pdf
Current status of deepwater oil spill modelling in the Faroe-Shetland Channel, Northeast Atlantic, and future challenges
Marine Pollution Bulletin, vol. 127, pp. 484-504Contributions to Journals: Review articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.12.002
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Short-term processing of ice algal- and phytoplankton-derived carbon by Arctic benthic communities revealed through isotope labelling experiments
Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 600, pp. 21-39Contributions to Journals: ArticlesBenthic macroinfaunal community structure, resource utilisation and trophic relationships in two Canadian Arctic Archipelago polynyas
PloS ONE, vol. 12, no. 8, e0183034Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183034
Ice algae vs. phytoplankton: resource utilization by Arctic deep sea macroinfauna revealed through isotope labelling experiments
Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 572, pp. 1-18Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12157
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/8744/1/Ice_algae_versus.pdf
The Variable Influence of Dispersant on Degradation of Oil Hydrocarbons in Subarctic Deep-Sea Sediments at Low Temperatures (0-5°C)
Scientific Reports, vol. 7, no. 1, 2253Contributions to Journals: ArticlesA System for Retrieval and Incubation of Benthic Sediment Cores at In Situ Ambient Pressure and Under Controlled or Manipulated Environmental Conditions
Journal of atmospheric and oceanic technology, vol. 34, no. 5, pp. 983-1000Contributions to Journals: ArticlesOrganic matter remineralization in marine sediments: A Pan-Arctic synthesis
Global Biogeochemical Cycles, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 190-213Contributions to Journals: ArticlesCoral cities of the deep: Species–habitat associations on the Mingulay Reef Complex
Ocean Challenge, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 17-19Contributions to Journals: ArticlesEnvironmental Impacts of the Deep-Water Oil and Gas Industry: A Review to Guide Management Strategies
Frontiers in Environmental Science, vol. 4, pp. 1-26Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2016.00058
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/7480/1/fenvs_04_00058.pdf
Patterns of carbon processing at the seafloor: the role of faunal and microbial communities in moderating carbon flows
Biogeosciences, vol. 13, no. 15, pp. 4343-4357Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-4343-2016
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/7474/1/bg_13_4343_2016.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
The effect of flow speed and food size on the capture efficiency and feeding behaviour of the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, vol. 481, pp. 34-40Contributions to Journals: ArticlesStatistical Modeling of Variability in Sediment-Water Nutrient and Oxygen Fluxes
Frontiers in Earth Science, vol. 4, pp. 1-17Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2016.00065
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/6092/1/feart_04_00065.pdf
Biodiversity of Spongosorites coralliophaga (Stephens, 1915) on coral rubble at two contrasting cold-water coral reef settings
Coral Reefs, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 193-208Contributions to Journals: ArticlesCarbon and Nitrogen Uptake of Calcareous Benthic Foraminifera along a Depth-Related Oxygen Gradient in the OMZ of the Arabian Sea
Frontiers in Microbiology, vol. 7, pp. 1-12Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00071
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/7690/1/fmicb_07_00071.pdf
The trophic structure of Spongosorites coralliophaga-coral rubble communities at two northeast Atlantic cold water coral reefs
Marine Biology Research, vol. 12, no. 9, pp. 932-947Contributions to Journals: ArticlesOccurrence of Priming in the Degradation of Lignocellulose in Marine Sediments
PloS ONE, vol. 10, no. 12, pp. 1-13Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHow Can We Identify and Communicate the Ecological Value of Deep-Sea Ecosystem Services?
PloS ONE, vol. 9, no. 7, pp. 1-11Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0100646
Uptake of phytodetritus by benthic foraminifera under oxygen depletion at the Indian margin (Arabian Sea)
Biogeosciences, vol. 11, no. 7, pp. 2017-2026Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-2017-2014
Twenty thousand sterling under the sea: Estimating the value of protecting deep-sea biodiversity
Ecological Economics, vol. 97, pp. 10-19Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2013.10.019
Feeding preferences of abyssal macrofauna inferred from in situ pulse chase experiments
PloS ONE, vol. 8, no. 11, e80510Contributions to Journals: ArticlesMacrofaunal colonization across the Indian margin oxygen minimum zone
Biogeosciences, vol. 10, no. 11, pp. 7161-7177Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-7161-2013
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/10375/1/bg_10_7161_2013.pdf
Negative priming effect on organic matter mineralization in NE Atlantic slope sediments: priming effects in continental slope sediments
PloS ONE, vol. 8, no. 6, e67722Contributions to Journals: ArticlesSediment community responses to marine vs. terrigenous organic matter in a submarine canyon
Biogeosciences, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 67-80Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-67-2013
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/3373/1/bg_10_67_2013.pdf
Macrofaunal community inside and outside of the Darwin Mounds Special Area of Conservation, NE Atlantic
Biogeosciences, vol. 10, pp. 3705-3714Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3705-2013
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/3192/1/Serpetti_et_al_2013.pdf
Temporal and depth-related differences in prokaryotic communities in abyssal sediments associated with particulate organic carbon flux
Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, vol. 70, pp. 26-35Contributions to Journals: ArticlesMacrofauna regulate heterotrophic bacterial carbon and nitrogen incorporation in low-oxygen sediments
The ISME Journal, vol. 6, no. 11, pp. 2140-2151Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2012.44
Resource quality affects carbon cycling in deep-sea sediments
The ISME Journal, vol. 6, no. 9, pp. 1740-1748Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2012.14
Permeability of intertidal sandflats: Impact of temporal variability on sediment metabolism
Continental Shelf Research, vol. 42, pp. 41-50Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2012.04.020
Macrobenthic assemblage structure and organismal stoichiometry control faunal processing of particulate organic carbon and nitrogen in oxygen minimum zone sediments
Biogeosciences, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 993-1006Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-993-2012
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/5649/1/bg_9_993_2012.pdf
High resolution mapping of sediment organic matter from acoustic reflectance data
Hydrobiologia, vol. 680, no. 1, pp. 265-284Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-011-0937-4
Microbial response to organic matter enrichment in the Oligotrophic Levantine Basin (Eastern Mediterranean)
Geomicrobiology Journal, vol. 29, no. 7, pp. 648-655Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01490451.2011.605822
Temporal variation in the sediment permeability of an intertidal sandflat
Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol. 441, pp. 49-63Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09390
Food web flows through a sub-arctic deep-sea benthic community
Progress in Oceanography, vol. 91, no. 3, pp. 245-259Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2010.12.014
Absorption efficiencies and basal turnover of C, N and fatty acids in a marine Calanoid copepod
Functional Ecology, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 509-518Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2010.01791.x
Epi-benthic megafaunal zonation across an oxygen minimum zone at the Indian continental margin
Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, vol. 58, no. 6, pp. 699-710Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2011.04.004