RT1. Culture isolation and maintenance (ETHZ, U. Caen)
Culture isolation is an essential prerequisite for all other culture-based research hence this has been the research task which has received most attention this year. Ian Probert at Caen has concentrated almost exclusively on this since January. His work has included: (1) Requesting all relevant strains from culture collections, and reviewing them which revealed numerous misidentifications and/or contaminations. (2) Isolating new strains based on material collected during short cruises by sent to him by other participants. Assistance in this activity has come from the CSIC, Lisbon and NHM teams. (3) Arranging new water collecting opportunities - including further cruise participation and application to several TMR LSF projects. (4) Maintenance of the culture collection - a rapidly growing task as new strains are added, other members of the Caen group help here. Isolates so far include 31 strains of Gephyrocapsa oceanica, 6 x Calcidiscus leptoporus, and 13 x Emiliania huxleyi.
In ETHZ Christine Klaas has continued culture isolation and maintenance work begin before the CODENET program started. A key recent success during a visit to Larry Brand in Miami has been isolation of Umbilicosphaera sibogae var. sibogae.
The CSIC has been assisting Ian's work through local water sampling and also recently were able to arrange delivery of cultures from Isao Inouye, (Tsukuba Japan). These should include U. sibogae var. foliosa.
Summary of success by species (see also separate list of cultures):

Gephyrocapsa: 31 isolates in Caen, more in ETHZ

Calcidiscus leptoporus: 6 isolates in Caen, 1 sent from Tsukuba.

Umbilicosphaera sibogae: 1new isolate of U .s. sibogae, and hopefully one U. s. foliosa from Tsukuba

Coccolithus pelagicus: still not in Caen collection, but should not be a problem.

Helicosphaera carteri, Syracosphaera pulchra - no isolates yet and the only previously isolated strains (Inouye, Tsukuba) have since died.
 
RT2. Life-Cycle study (Caen)
The U. Caen work in this area has not commenced yet, beyond observation of strains in culture. Invaluable new perspectives have, however, come from observations by Lluisa Cros (CSIC) of combination coccospheres with holococcoliths and heterococcoliths. A major publication from this work has been submitted, with co-authors from Caen, VUA and NHM.
 
RT3. Molecular genetics (AWI)
YVR, Alberto Garcia Saez has been appointed based initially in Erlangen working on plastid genome projects. Most time has been spent in development of facilities, including culture facilities and background studies. With Linda Medlin 18S rRNA based phylogeny for the haptophytes has been produced. This broadly supports existing views on their phylogeny and classification, including separation of Pavlovales and Prymnesiales, and also provides interesting new insights, e.g. subdivision of Chrysochromulina into two major groups (one of which is paraphyletic), strongly polyphyletic origin for the Isochrysidales (leaving as core group Isochrysis, Gephyrocapsa and Emiliania). This work was presented at the flagellates conference in Birmingham. It is intended to extend the work to include as wide a range of coccolithophorid species as possible, assistance here from other groups in providing material and checking identifications makes CODENET an ideal framework for the project.
 
RT4. Lipid biomarker composition and palaeothermal calibration (NIOZ).
YVR Hanno Kinkel appointed at NIOZ. Post taken up in May and most subsequent time spent in learning new skills, having previously worked mainly on coccolithophorid palaeontology. Research program for study of lipid biomarkers within CODENET being developed - key priorities will include checking for presence of biomarkers across taxonomy, study of lipid biomarker composition in data sets for which taxonomic controls available - including geological, sediment trap and plankton samples. There was considerable discussion during the workshops on ways of co-ordinating this type of sample based work. Culture work is planned to investigate uk37 temperature correlations across a range of species.
 
RT5. Photosynthetic pigment studies. (CSIC)
YVR Kees van Lenning appointed at CSIC. He has previously worked in the area and has existing datasets and samples to form basis of CODENET project, which will of course be directed at special study of pigment variation in coccolithophorids, and especially the six key taxa. Major culture experiments are planned to investigate the effect of varying irradiance levels on pigment composition.
 
RT6. Coccolith ultrastructure analysis (NHM)
This work will be mainly a project of Jeremy Young, extending a well established collaboration with Prof Steve Mann at University of Bath (a formally agreed CODENET participant within the NHM team). At Bath Dr. Sean Davis has a Leverhulme funded Post Doc to work in this area. In addition the NHM has purchased a new very high resolution field emission SEM. Current activity includes preparation of review ms, and publication of detailed work on various species, including C. pelagicus. New work is planned on the CODENET species as good culture material becomes available and on holococcoliths from wild material (this will co-ordinate with morphological work in this area by L. Cros (CSIC) and A. Kleijne (VUA).
 
RT7. TEM fine structural studies (U. Caen)
Work in this area has not commenced yet but with isolation of cultures of previously unstudied species obvious research opportunities are being developed. In particular study of the sub-species U. sibogae var. sibogae is tantalising since LM observations show that it is semi-colonial with multiple cells per coccosphere,.
 
RT8. Phylogenetic synthesis (NHM, AWI)
Work in this area is mainly a late stage project as data from other studies becomes available.
 
RT9. Physiological characterisation (NHM, ETHZ, CSIC, NIOZ)
No teams are planning extensive culture experiments purely to work on physiological characterisation. Relevant culture experiments are however planned by numerous groups with other primary objectives. These include: CSIC effects of varying irradiance levels, for pigment studies; NIOZ effects of varying temperature, for lipid biomarker studies; ETHZ effects of varying temperature, for coccolith morphology studies; NHM - growth in light-temperature cross-gradient cabinet for study of coccolith morphology and characterisation of cell variation between log-phase and stationery phase.
Culture techniques were well covered in the workshop, especially in the training session. Co-ordination of culture studies to ensure maximum benefit is made of the range of studies being carried out was not discussed adequately.
 
RT10. Morphological work on cultured samples (NHM, ETHZ, MNHN-UL)
Christine Klaas, ETHZ, has commenced work in this area, comparing Gephyrocapsa coccoliths grown in culture with those seen in nature - based on morphotype identification work of Joerg Bollman. Cultured coccoliths show slight malformation (notably bridges are often incomplete) but in general the range of morphometric variability is similar to that in natural clusters. Values of morphometric variation (especially bridge angle vs coccolith length) do not change significantly with temperature conditions. These observations broadly support the hypothesis of predominantly genotypic variation for the observed parameters, however the actual values seen in culture fall between clusters seen in nature situation is still somewhat problematic. Continued work in this area is in hand at EHZ and planned at NHM.
 
RT11. Plankton assemblages - ecological characterisation (ETHZ, FdA-VUA, CSIC, MNHN-UL)
This is an area many of the research teams have been working in for a long time. Studies were presented by Hans Thierstein on time series studies of the relationship of coccolithophorid assemblages to physico-chemical parameters and by Mario Cachão and Marta Estrada on the relationship of coccolithophorid assemblages to physical oceanography and seasonal succession. Subsequent discussions highlighted an obvious need for integrated studies combining inverted light microscope counts of fixed samples total phytoplankton and filter samples of calcareous nannoplankton. This is particularly so since a comparison of results from the two techniques by Lluisa Cros (CSIC) and Franco Novarino (NHM) showed that traditional fixing techniques frequently resulted in dissolution of coccolithophores.
Continuing studies are in hand by various teams, these are mainly being carried out in the context of other projects, e.g. CANIGO (ETHZ, Bremen) and MATER (CSIC, NHM). opportunities are being taken, however, to refocus these studies to address CODENET objectives. For example Markus Geisen (NHM) will participate in a CANIGO cruise collecting samples for integrated lipid analysis and coccolithophorid counts. Similarly other teams outside the original core-funded group are arranging to participate in the CODENET project paying special attention to the CODENET species within their studies - this includes work in Milano (Elisabetta Erba, ) and Firenze (Simonetta Monechi, Marco Pozzi).
Opportunities for small scale CODENET cruises are being pursued by the Lisbon and NIOZ groups. Literature synthesis studies are being carried out by Annelies Kleijne (VUA) and various ETHZ scientists.
 
RT12. Sediment trap studies - flux rates and seasonal succession. (ETHZ, FdA-VUA, NIOZ)
The VUA team have been working intensively in this field over the last several years in connection with the GEM project, with emphasis on quantifying the role of coccolithophorids in sediment fluxes. ETHZ has also been actively studying sediment traps, notably in the context of the CANIGO project.
A summary of available sediment trap samples has been produced by Patrizia Ziveri and synthesis of data on distribution of the CODENET taxa in previously studied samples is in hand.
Planned research, focuses on use of time series data to study seasonal succession and related morphological variability including: (1) Patrizia Ziveri (VUA), U. sibogae, S. pulchra, H. carteri. (2) Sabrina Renaud, Christine Klaas (ETHZ). (3) Karl-Heinz Baumann (Bremen) and Mario Cachão (Lisbon), Coccolithus pelagicus. (4) Hanno Kinkel (NIOZ) - lipid biomarkers.
 
RT13. Holocene sediment samples - global biogeography. (ETHZ, FdA-VUA MNHN-UL).
A common sample set of about 50 samples is being selected to provide a broad sampling of global biogeography and of the major oceanographic regimes (upwelling zones, marginal seas etc.). This work is being co-ordinated by the ETHZ group and the first approx. 30 samples have been prepared during the CODENET geological sample preparation workshops. They have been distributed to the ETHZ, NHM, VUA and Lisbon groups who will carry out assemblage analysis, calculation of specific flux rates, and morphometric studies of the key species.
 
RT14. Geological sample studies - microevolution and ecological response. (NHM, ETHZ, FdA-VUA, MNHN-UL).
A set of samples has been requested from the ODP and prepared during ETHZ sample preparation workshops. The sample set is from 6 sites, with god oxygen isotope stratigraphy. At each slice samples have been selected from approx 0Ma, 1.0Ma, 2.0Ma, 3.0Ma and 4.0Ma, using the isotope record to select a pair of samples reflecting climatic maxima and minima. The samples will be studied by Sabrina Renaud (ETHZ), Markus Geisen (NHM), and Mario Cachão (MNHN-UL). This sample set will allow investigation of (1) paleobiogeography (2) the effect of climate (3) reconnaissance of major evolutionary developments. Large (10 cc) samples were requested from ODP, to allow comparative study of planktic forams (ETHZ and probably Michal Kucera, University of California, Santa Barbara), these samples should also be suitable for lipid study (NIOZ). A complimentary sample set from sections in Southern Italy is to be collected from Utrecht, on the suggestion of Gerard Versteegh (NIOZ).
Extensive experimentation was carried out to compare different quantitative preparation techniques (spraying, filtration and settling). Two techniques mss are in preparation based on this.
 
RT15. Macroevolutionary studies - divergence times of the lineages. (NHM, ETHZ).
Work on this is planned to take place via collaboration between specialist nannofossil palaeontologists not otherwise actively in the project, notably Paul Bown (UCL), Katharina von Salis (ETHZ), Ben Prins (VUA). Relevant recently completed work includes the new syntheses of "Calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy" (Bown 1998, ed.) and nannofossil taxonomy (Young & Bown 1997). Emanuella Matioli (Perugia) will be carrying out detailed analysis of critical events in early Jurassic placolith evolution at the NHM (funded via the TMR LSF program BIORESOURCE).