Deep-Sea Biology
The Deep-Sea Biology research group studies the biodiversity, physiology, ecology and evolution of microbes and animals living in deep-sea ecosystems. We use an interdisciplinary research approach by integrating data from multiple sources (molecular, biochemical, (micro)biological, and geochemical). One of our target environments, deep-sea hydrothermal vents, host diverse and highly specialized ecosystems adapted to extreme ecological conditions. We are exploring this unique biodiversity for metabolic traits and as a resource for novel biomolecules for human exploitation. Deep-sea ecosystems are reservoirs of largely unknown biodiversity and are already under pressure from multiple anthropogenic and climate stressors. We engage in conservation questions and studies of human impacts of deep-sea benthic ecosystems.
Projects
Science projects
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS:
2021 - 2026 UiB Centre for Deep-Sea Research (CDeepSea) - Funding: Trond Mohn Foundation
2021 - 2025 DeepSeaQuence; Uncovering the metabolic secrets and capacity of Arctic deep-sea hydrothermal vent microbiomes. Funding: Research Council of Norway. P.I: R. Stokke.
2021 - 2024 Eco-Safe Ridge Mining: environmental risk studies towards sustainable deep-sea mining on the Mid-Ocean Ridge in Norway. Funding: Research Council of Norway. P.I: P. A. Ribeiro.
2021 - 2024 Life at the limits: diversity, adaptation strategies and bioprospecting of microbes living in Arctic deep sea habitats (IN-DEPTH, https://twitter.com/Project_INDEPTH), Funding: EEA-Norway grant. P.I UIB: I. H. Steen
2020 - 2023 Vent & Seep Fauna in Norwegian Waters. Funding: Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre (Artsdatabanken). P.I: Mari Heggernes Eilertsen.
PROJECT COLLABORATORS:
2021 - 2023 RAS-TOOLS: A microbial toolbox for RAS production and innovation. Funding: NordForsk, Research Council of Norway. P.I. H. Dahle.
2019-2023 HyPOD: Hydrothermal Production of Organic molecules: carbon transformation and Decomposition in ocean crust fluids. Frinatek, P.I: E. Reeves
Master projects
2025-2026
Resolving biochemical properties of proteases of hydrothermal vent microorganisms
Karoline Oksnes Austnes
Main supervisor: Ida Helene Steen
Co-supervisor: Hasan Arsin
Defining inactive and extinct hydrothermal vents on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge
Hanna Sannes
Main supervisor: Pedro Ribeiro
Co-supervisor: Eoghan Reeves
Classification of megabenthic communities on a deep seamount on the Mohn’s Ridge
Anja Bang
Main supervisor: Heidi Meyer
Co-supervisor: Pedro Ribeiro, Rebecca Ross, Rosalyn Fredriksen
Diversity of marine bristle worms (Annelida) within Isfjorden (Svalbard)
Zofia Maurer
Main supervisor: Nataliya Budaeva
Co-supervisor: Pedro Ribeiro
2024-2025
Diversity, distribution and habitat specificity of Ophryotrocha from chemosynthesis-based ecosystems
Kristoffer F. Nilsen
Main supervisor: Mari H. Eilertsen
Co-supervisors: Nataliya Budaeva and Jon A. Kongsrud
Structure-based discovery of putative novel deep-sea hydrothermal chitinases
Guro Ødegårdstuen
Main supervisor: Runar Stokke
Co-Supervisors: Hasan Arsin, Ida Helene Steen
Enrichment of a new species of sulfate-reducing bacteria from the Loki´s Castle hydrothermal vent field.
Emilie Werness
Main supervisor: Ida Helene Steen
Co-supervisors: Runar Stokke, Petra Hribovšek
Reveal relative distribution, taxonomic relationships, metabolic functions and interspecies interactions in a diffuse flow location at Mohn´s Treasure
Noemi Segura Sol
Main supervisor: Ida Helene Steen
Co-supervisors: Runar Stokke, Petra Hribovšek
Characterisation of epibenthic community structure on the DeepInsight seamount, Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge
Audun Aass Roseth
Main supervisor: Pedro Ribeiro
Co-supervisors: Irina Zhulay, Mari H. Eilertsen
2023-2024
The fauna of Ægir vent field
Amalie Johannessen
Main supervisor: Mari H. Eilertsen
Co-supervisor: Jon A. Kongsrud
Revisiting the fauna of the Jan Mayen vent fields
Anna Tomine R. Sørensen
Main supervisor: Mari H. Eilertsen
Co-supervisor: Jon A. Kongsrud
Heterologous production, purification and substrate usage of a variant of the marine globupain protease
Ramsha Iqbal
Main supervisor: Ida Helene Steen
Co-supervisors: Runar Stokke, Anita-Elin Fedøy, Hasan Arsin, Victoria Røyseth
IMBRSea Master student - Identification, expression, and biochemical characterization of plastic-degrading enzymes from extremophilic bacteria at the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridges (AMOR) deep-sea hydrothermal vents
Ivan Patrick Tualla
Main supervisor: Runar Stokke
Co-Supervisors: Katharina Sass and Ida Helene Steen
Identification, production and characterization of novel marine enzymes
Emilie Kristine Nygaard
Main supervisor: Ida Helene Steen
Co-supervisors:
Evaluating Survival and Relative Abundance of Bacterial Species in an In-vitro Model of Fecal Commensals
Hedvig Villmark
Main supervisor: Anders Schouw
Co-Supervisors: Runar Stokke, Kurt Hanevik
Characterization of the novel strain Pseudodesulfovibrio. sp. Ægir
Hallvard Johan Jacobsen
Main supervisor: Ida Helene Steen
Co-supervisors: Runar Stokke, Anders Schouw
Assessing the efficiency of low-impact methods for benthic biodiversity surveys in the Arctic deep sea
Liem Dominic Østrådt-Jennings
Main supervisor: Pedro Ribeiro
Co-Supervisors: Irina Zhulay, Jon Thomassen Hestetun (NORCE), Miriam Isabelle Brandt (NORCE)
2022-2023
Plastic degrading potential of Arctic deep-sea hydrothermal microbiomes
Siri Charlotte Haugerud Rognan
Main supervisor: Runar Stokke
Co-Supervisors: Katharina Sass and Ida Helene Steen
Fauna of cold seeps in the Arctic
Marte Leane Bleken Klemetsdal
Main supervisor: Mari Heggernes Eilertsen
Co-supervisors: Jon A. Kongsrud (UMB), Giuliana Panieri (UiT/CAGE)
Trophic ecology of hydrothermal vent fauna on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge
Marte Syvderud
Main supervisor: Pedro Ribeiro
Co-supervisor: Furu Mienis (NIOZ)
Characterisation of megabenthic community structure at the Fåvne hydrothermal vent field,and implications for environmental management of seabed mining
Sofie Gjærlow
Main supervisor: Pedro Ribeiro
Co-supervisor: Steinar Sanni (UiS)
VentFish: Diversity and trophic ecology of fish at hydrothermal vents on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge
Haakon Arthur Pedersen (NTNU)
Main supervisor: Torkild bakken (NTNU)
Co-supervisors: Mari Heggernes Eilertsen, Nicolas Straube (UMB)
Diversity, structure and environmental drivers of benthic epifaunal communities on Arctic cold seeps based on seafloor image analysis
Fereshteh Hemmateenejad
ERASMUS+ Joint Master's Programme
Main supervisor: Alessandra Savini (U. Milano Bicocca)
Co-supervisors: Pedro Ribeiro (UiB), Giuliana Panieri (UiT), Luca Fallati (U. Milano Bicocca
Characterization of Benthic Megafauna Community Structure at One Newly Discovered Hydrothermally Active Site on Mohn’s Treasure, Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge, Employing Image Analysis
Erik Lund-Tønnesen
Supervisor: Pedro Ribeiro
2020-2021
Metagenomics-based discovery of novel carbohydrate degrading enzymes from deep-sea hydrothermal in situ enrichments; expression, purification and characterization
Sondre Olai Spjeld
Main supervisor: Runar Stokke
Co-supervisors: Ida Helene Steen
Identification of benthic communities at the Loki’s Castle hydrothermal vent field using a photo-mosaic.
Ida Marie Hamstad
Main supervisor: Pedro Ribeiro
Co-supervisors: Mari H. Eilertsen, Thibaut Barreyre
People
Group manager
Ida Helene Steen Professor
Group members
Runar Stokke Forsker
Mari Heggernes Eilertsen Forsker
Pedro A. Ribeiro Forsker
Hasan Arsın Postdoktor
Petra Hribovšek Postdoktor
Anita-Elin Fedøy Senioringeniør
David John Rees Overingeniør
Tone Ulvatn Avdelingsingeniør
Trong Thuc Nguyen Ph.d.-kandidat
Brenda Lizbeth Esteban Vazquez Ph.d.-kandidat