Title: The Benguela Microbiome: Dynamics of the nano-picoplankton

The Benguela upwelling system is one of the four major eastern boundary upwelling regions. Wind driven upwelling during spring and summer followed by a period of wind relaxation in autumn creates a cycle of high rates of productivity and respiration in the region, especially close to the coastline. Physical-chemical dynamics along the coast is echoed in the microbiome, with changes in community structure and composition following environmental cues. Nanoplankton are the dominate primary producers year-round, with bacteria contributing much of the biomass in autumn. Metabolic functions associated with the nitrogen cycle, sulphur cycling, and remineralisation are especially prominent during the post-upwelling season. With the completion of the TARA Mission Microbiome expedition, there will be an increase in microbial data out of the Benguela ecosystem.

Name: Nicole Dames

Nicole Dames is a postdoctoral fellow from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. She is devoted to uncovering the role of microorganisms in the ecology of the oceans surrounding the South African coastline. She has a background in Molecular Biology and Microbiology from her time at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. She completed her PhD at the University of Cape Town in 2022, focusing on the daily variability of nano-and picoplankton dynamics in an embayment of the southern Benguela.

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