Marine natural products modulate complex chemical interactions between the host, its microbiome and the ecosystem. We are particularly interested in chemical ecology and ecosystem services of marine macrophytes, i.e., seagrasses and seaweeds. The surface of marine biological organisms, and their epibiome are of particular interest as they are at direct interface between the organism and the seawater that contains millions of pathogenic, beneficial and parasitic microorganisms.

Our foci include specific extraction, identification and chemical imaging of natural molecules exuded onto surface by the host and its epibionts to control the surface biofouling. The second focus rests on the seagrasses that have been shown to reduce the pathogen load in the surrounding seawater. We are investigating interactions between seagrasses and seawater microbiome as well as the chemical mechanisms behind this newly identified ecosystem service, which is highly relevant for the health of ocean and human.

Selected publications:

Tasdemir, D., Scarpato, S., Utermann, C., Jensen, T., Blümel, M., Wenzel-Storjohann, A., Welsch, C. und Echelmeyer, V. A. (2024) Epiphytic and endophytic microbiome of the seagrass Zostera marina: Do they contribute to pathogen reduction in seawater?. Science of the Total Environment, 908. Art.Nr. 168422. DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168422.

Oppong-Danquah, E. , Blümel, M. und Tasdemir, D. (2023) Metabolomics and Microbiomics Insights into Differential Surface Fouling of Three Macroalgal Species of Fucus (Fucales, Phaeophyceae) That Co-Exist in the German Baltic Sea.  Marine Drugs, 21 (11). Art.Nr. 595. DOI 10.3390/md21110595.

Utermann, C., Blümel, M., Busch, K., Buedenbender, L., Lin, Y., Haltli, B. A., Kerr, R. G., Briski, E., Hentschel, U.  und Tasdemir, D.  (2020) Comparative microbiome and metabolome analyses of the marine tunicate Ciona intestinalis from native and invaded habitats.  Microorganisms, 8 (12). Art.Nr. 2022. DOI 10.3390/microorganisms8122022.

Parrot, D., Blümel, M., Utermann, C., Chianese, G., Krause, S., Kovalev, A. , Gorb, S. und Tasdemir, D.  (2019) Mapping the Surface Microbiome and Metabolome of Brown Seaweed Fucus vesiculosus by Amplicon Sequencing, Integrated Metabolomics and Imaging Techniques.  Scientific Reports, 9 (1061). DOI 10.1038/s41598-018-37914-8.

Utermann, C., Parrot, D., Breusing, C., Stuckas, H., Staufenberger, T., Blümel, M., Labes, A. und Tasdemir, D. (2018) Combined genotyping, microbial diversity and metabolite profiling studies on farmed Mytilus spp. from Kiel Fjord.  Scientific Reports, 8 (1). Art.Nr. 7983. DOI 10.1038/s41598-018-26177-y.

Guan, C., Parrot, D., Wiese, J., Sönnichsen, F., Saha, M., Tasdemir, D. und Weinberger, F.  (2017) Identification of rosmarinic acid and sulfated flavonoids as inhibitors of microfouling on the surface of eelgrass Zostera marina. Biofouling, 10. pp. 867-880. DOI 10.1080/08927014.2017.1383399.