Professor Ursula Witte

Professor Ursula Witte The University of Aberdeen School of Biological Sciences Professor Ursula Witte Chair in Zoology work +44 (0)1224 274413 work fax 0044 1224 274402 pref Oceanlab Main Street Newburgh AB41 6AA

Chair in Zoology

Professor Ursula Witte

Personal Details

Telephone: +44 (0)1224 274413
Fax: 0044 1224 274402
Email: u.witte@abdn.ac.uk
Address: Oceanlab
Main Street
Newburgh
AB41 6AA
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Research Interests

The work of my group focuses on the biogeochemical cycling of organic matter in marine sediments. We study exchange processes between the sediment and overlying water and try to understand the spatial and temporal dynamics of biological and geochemical transformations of matter in relation to the transport of metabolites to and through the sediment-water interface. Although this understanding is elemental for the comprehension of biogeochemical processes in marine sediments, many open questions remain, especially in those sediments where in-situ measurements are difficult. To overcome these difficulties, we develop and deploy autonomous instruments such as landers (fig. 1), that enable us to carry out in situ measurements and experiments in a variety of benthic habitats from the shelf and continental slope to the deep sea.


Chamber Lander

Fig. 1: Benthic chamber lander being deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean

In many cases, stable isotope labelling helps us track the pathway of organic matter (e. g. the fate of phytodetritus freshly deposited at the deep-sea floor) through the benthic community (Fig. 2).

Click here for Fig. 2: Processing of organic carbon by the abyssal benthic community of the Porcupine Abyssal Plain in the North-East Atlantic (4800m; from Witte et al. 2003)  


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Research Grants

"The role of micronutrients in deep-sea carbon cycling".  The Leverhulme Trust, 2007 -2010

"Rates and pathways of carbon cycling at the abyssal sea floor: a long-term, in situ experimental study". NERC, 2007-2010

"Nutrient regeneration in North Sea coastal sediments". FRF, 2006-2009

"Carbon turnover and trophic relationships in teh abyssal Pacific", NERC-LSMSF, 2007/08

COBO - Towards a Coastal Ocan Benthic Observatory  (EC) 2004 - 2007


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Group Members

Dr. Rachel Jeffreys

Dr. Dan Mayor

Dr. Markus Moeseneder

Andrew Sweetman, PhD student (external, MPI Bremen)

Kiara Burke, PhD student

Evangelia Gontikaki, PhD student

Eva-Maria Zetsche, PhD student

Natalia Serpetti, PhD student

Alba Hernandez, Leonardo placement scholarship

associated through co-supervision: Marie-Therese Moore, PhD student 

past placement scholarships:

Ricardo Varela, Lucia Vicente-Gonzalez


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Selected Publications

de Beer, D., Sauter, E., Niemann, H., Witte, U., Schlüter, M.Boetius, A. (2006): In situ fluxes and zonation of microbial activity in surface sediments of the Håkon Mosby Mud Volcano. Limnol & Oceanogr. 51 (3), 1315 - 1331

Bühring, S. I., Lampadariou, N., Moodley, L., Tselepides, T., Witte, U. (2006). Benthic microbial and whole-community responses to different amounts of 13C-enriched algae: In situ experiments in the deep Cretan Sea (Eastern Mediterranean). Limnol. & Oceanogr. 51:157-165

Bühring, S. I., Ehrenhauß, S., Kamp, A., Witte, U. (2006) Enhanced benthic activity in sandy sublittoral sediments: evidence from 13C-tracer experiments. Mar Biol Res. 2: 120-129

Kamp A., Witte U. (2005) Processing of 13C-labelled phytoplankton in a fine-grained sandy shelf sediment (North Sea): Relative importance of different macrofauna species. Mar Ecol Prog Ser. 297: 61-70

Janssen F., Huettel, M., Witte, U. 2005. Pore-water advection and solute fluxes in permeable marine sediments (I): Calibration and performance of the novel benthic chamber system "Sandy". Limnol. Oceanogr. 50 (3): 768-778

Janssen F., Huettel, M., Witte, U. 2005. Pore-water advection and solute fluxes in permeable marine sediments (II): Benthic respiration at three sandy sites with different permeabilities. Limnol. Oceanogr. 50 (3): 779-792

Tengberg A., U. Andersson, P. Hall, B. Linden, O. Styrenius, G. Boland, F. De Bovee, B. Carlsson, S. Ceradini, A. Devol, G. Duineveld, J. U. Friemann, R. Glud, A. Khripounoff, J. Leather, P. Linke, L. Lund-Hansen, G. Rowe, P. Santschi, P. De Wilde and U. Witte (2005). Intercalibration of benthic flux chambers II: Hydrodynamic characterization and flux comparisons of 14 different designs. (Marine Chemistry 94: 147-173)

Bühring, S., Elvert, M., Witte, U. (2005) The microbial community structure of different permeable sandy sediments characterised by the investigation of bacterial fatty acids and fluorescence in situ hybridisation. Environmental Microbiology 7 (2): 281-293

Ehrenhauß S., Witte, U. , Janßen, F.,. Hüttel, M., (2004). Decomposition of diatoms and nutrient dynamics in permeable North Sea sediments. Cont. Shelf Research 24: 721-737

Ehrenhauß, S, U. Witte, S. Bühring, M. Hüttel (2004): Effect of advective pore water transport on distribution and degradation of diatoms in permeable North Sea sediments. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 271: 99-111

U. Witte, F. Wenzhöfer, S. Sommer, A. Boetius, P. Heinz, N. Aberle, M. Sand,  A.Cremer, W.-R. Abraham, B. B. Jørgensen,  O. Pfannkuche (2003).  In situ experimental evidence of the fate of a phytodetritus pulse at the abyssal sea floor. Nature, 424: 763-766

U. Witte, N.Aberle, M. Sand, F. Wenzhöfer. Rapid response of a deep-sea benthic community to POM enrichment: an in situ experimental study (2003). Mar Ecol Prog Ser 251: 27-36

N. Aberle, U. Witte: Deep-sea macrofauna exposed to a simulated sedimentation event in the abyssal NE Atlantic: in situ pulse chase experiments using 13C labeled phytodetritus (2003). Mar Ecol Prog Ser 251: 37-47

Viollier,  E.,  C. Rabouille, S. E. Apitz, E. Breuer, G. Chaillou, K. Dedieu, Y. Furakawa, C. Grenz, P. Hall, F. Janssen, J. L. Morford, J.-C. Poggiale, S. Roberts, T. Shimmield, M. Taillefert, A. Tengberg, F. Wenzhofer, U. Witte (2003): In situ assessment of benthic biogeochemistry: State of the art technologies and guidelines for the future. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol.  285-286: 5-31

Treude, T., Janssen, F., Queisser, W., Witte, U. (2002) Respiration and metabolic activity of deep-sea amphipods. Deep-Sea Res. I 49: 1281-1289

Piepenburg, D., Brandt, A., von Juterzenka, K., Mayer, M., Schnack, K., Seiler, D., Witte, U., Spindler, M. (2001): Patterns and determinants of the distribution and structure of benthic faunal assemblages in the northern North Atlantic. In: Schäfer, P., Ritzrau, W., Schlüter, M., Thiede, J. (eds): The Northern North Atlantic. A changing Environment. Pp179-198 Springer, Berlin

Witte, U. and Pfannkuche, O. (2000) High rates of benthic carbon remineralisation in the deep Arabian Sea. Deep-Sea Res. II 47 (14): 2785-2804

Witte, U. (2000) Vertical distribution of macrofauna within the sediment at four sites with contrasting food supply in the deep Arabian Sea. Deep-Sea Res. II 47 (14): 2979-2997

Janßen, F., Treude, T., Witte, U. (2000) Scavenger communities of the deep Arabian Sea. Deep-Sea Res. II 47 (14): 2999-3026

Turnewitsch, R., Witte, U. and Graf, G. (2000) Bioturbation in the abyssal Arabian Sea: influence of fauna and food supply. Deep-Sea Res. II 47 (14): 2877-2911

Boetius, A., Ravenschlag, K.,  Schubert, C., Rickert, D., Widdel, F., Gieseke, A., Amann, R., Jørgensen, B. B., Witte, U., Pfannkuche, O.(2000). A marine microbial consortium apparently mediating anaerobic oxidation of methane". Nature 407: 623-626


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Publications

Contributions to Journals

Articles

  • Mayor, DJ., Thornton, B., Hay, S., Zuur, AF., Nicol, GW., McWilliam, JM. & Witte, UFM. (2012). 'Resource quality affects carbon cycling in deep-sea sediments'. The ISME Journal, vol 6, pp. 1740-1748.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2012.14
  • Gontikaki, E., Polymenakou, PN., Thornton, B., Narayanaswamy, BE., Black, K., Tselepides, A. & Witte, UFM. (2012). 'Microbial Response to Organic Matter Enrichment in the Oligotrophic Levantine Basin (Eastern Mediterranean)'. Geomicrobiology Journal, vol 29, no. 7, pp. 648-655.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1080/01490451.2011.605822
  • Moeseneder, MM., Smith, KL., Ruhl, HA., Jones, DOB., Witte, U. & Prosser, JI. (2012). '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. 26-35.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr.2012.07.010
  • Hunter, WR., Levin, LA., Kitazato, H. & Witte, U. (2012). '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. 993-1006.
    [Online] DOI: 10.5194/bg-9-993-2012
  • Hunter, WR., Veuger, B. & Witte, U. (2012). 'Macrofauna regulate heterotrophic bacterial carbon and nitrogen incorporation in low-oxygen sediments'. The ISME Journal, vol 6, no. 11, pp. 2140-2151.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2012.44
  • Gontikaki, E., Mayor, DJ., Thornton, B., Black, K. & Witte, UFM. (2011). 'Processing of 13C-labelled diatoms by a bathyal community at sub-zero temperatures'. Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol 421, pp. 39-50.
    [Online] DOI: 10.3354/meps08892
  • Mayor, DJ., Cook, K., Thornton, B., Walsham, P., Witte, UFM., Zuur, AF. & Anderson, TR. (2011). 'Absorption efficiencies and basal turnover of C, N and fatty acids in a marine Calanoid copepod'. Functional Ecology, vol 25, no. 3, pp. 509-518.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2010.01791.x
  • Gontikaki, E., Mayor, DJ., Narayanaswamy, BE. & Witte, UFM. (2011). 'Feeding strategies of deep-sea sub-Arctic macrofauna of the Faroe-Shetland Channel: Combining natural stable isotopes and enrichment techniques'. Deep-Sea Research. Part I, Oceanographic Research Papers, vol 58, no. 2, pp. 160-172.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr.2010.11.011
  • Gontikaki, E., van Oevelen, D., Soetaert, K. & Witte, UFM. (2011). 'Food-web flows through a sub-arctic deep-sea benthic community'. Progress in Oceanography, vol 91, no. 3, pp. 245-259.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1016/j.pocean.2010.12.014
  • Zetsche, E., Paterson, DM., Lumsdon, DG. & Witte, U. (2011). 'Temporal variation in the sediment permeability of an intertidal sandflat'. Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol 441, pp. 49-63.
    [Online] DOI: 10.3354/meps09390
  • Tyler, P., Amaro, T., Arzola, R., Cunha, MR., de Stigter, H., Gooday, MA., Huvenne, V., Ingels, J., Kiriakoulakis, K., Lastras, G., Masson, D., Oliveira, A., Pattenden, A., Vanreusel, A., Van Weering, T., Vitorino, J., Witte, UFM. & Wolff, G. (2009). 'Europe's Grand Canyon Nazare Submarine Canyon'. Fisheries Oceanography, vol 22, no. 1, pp. 46-57.
  • Sweetman, AK., Sommer, S., Pfannkuche, O. & Witte, UFM. (2009). 'Retarded response by macrofauna-size foraminifera to phytodetritus in a deep Norwegian Fjord'. Journal of Foraminiferal Research, vol 39, no. 1, pp. 15-22.
    [Online] DOI: 10.2113/gsjfr.39.1.15
  • Sweetman, AK. & Witte, U. (2008). 'Macrofaunal response to phytodetritus in a bathyal Norwegian fjord'. Deep-Sea Research. Part I, Oceanographic Research Papers, vol 55, no. 11, pp. 1503-1514.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr.2008.06.004
  • Sweetman, AK. & Witte, U. (2008). 'Response of an abyssal macrofaunal community to a phytodetrital pulse'. Marine Ecology Progress Series, vol 355, pp. 73-84.
    [Online] DOI: 10.3354/meps07240
  • de Beer, D., Sauter, E., Niemann, H., Kaul, N., Foucher, JP., Witte, UFM., Schlueter, M. & Boetius, A. (2006). 'In situ fluxes and zonation of microbial activity in surface sediments of the Håkon Mosby Mud Volcano'. Limnology and Oceanography, vol 51, no. 3, pp. 1315-1331.
  • Buhring, SI., Lampadariou, N., Moodley, L., Tselepides, A. & Witte, UFM. (2006). 'Benthic microbial and whole-community responses to different amounts of 13 C-enriched algae: In situ experiments in the deep Cretan Sea (Eastern Mediterranean)'. Limnology and Oceanography, vol 51, no. 1, pp. 157-165.
  • Janssen, F., Huettel, M. & Witte, UFM. (2005). 'Pore-water advection and solute fluxes in permeable marine sediments (II): Benthic respiration at three sandy sites with different permeabilities (German Bight, North Sea)'. Limnology and Oceanography, vol 50, no. 3, pp. 779-792.
  • Witte, UFM., Wenzhoefer, F., Sommer, S., Boetius, A., Heinz, P., Aberle, N., Sand, M., Cremer, A., Abraham, WR., Joergensen, BB. & Pfannkuche, O. (2003). 'In situ experimental evidence of the fate of a phytodetritus pulse at the abyssal sea floor'. Nature, vol 424, pp. 763-766.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1038/nature01799

Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings

Conference Proceedings

  • Priede, IG., Addison, S., Bradley, S., Bagley, PM., Gray, P., Yau, C., Rolin, JF., Blandin, J., Legrand, J., Khripounoff, A., Vangriesheim, A., Cremer, A., Witte, UFM., Pfannkuche, O., Tengberg, A., Hulth, S., Hall, P., Helder, W., van Weering, T. & Duineveld, G. (1998). 'Autonomous deep-ocean lander vehicles: modular approaches to design and operation'. in Oceans '98: conference proceedings : 28 September-1 October, 1998, Nice, France, Acropolis Convention Center. IEEE Press, New York.
    [Online] DOI: 10.1109/OCEANS.1998.726266

Contributions to Conferences

Abstracts

  • Gontikaki, E., van Oevelen, D., Soetaert, K. & Witte, UFM. (2010). 'Benthic food web interactions in the deep Faroe-Shetland Channel: combining stable isotope labelling with linear inverse modelling techniques'. Deep-Sea Research Symposium, Reykjavik, Iceland, 15/06/10,.
  • Gontikaki, E., Polymenakou, PN., Tselepides, A., Narayanaswamy, BE. & Witte, UFM. (2009). 'Deep-sea benthic community response to a simulated sedimentation event in Eastern Mediterranean'. HERMES Annual Meeting, Faro, Portugal, 20/03/09,.

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