Melina Sophia Welling

Doktorandin / Doctoral Researcher

Anschrift

Universität Hamburg

Institut für marine Ökosystem- und Fischereiwissenschaften

Planktonökologie

Olbersweg 24

22767 Hamburg

Büro

Raum: 107

Kontakt

Fax: +49 40 42838-6618

E-Mail: Melina.welling-2"AT"uni-hamburg.de

I am interested in how aquatic microorganisms respond and adapt to environmental change, with a focus on phytoplankton communities. At the moment, I am working with Zygnematophyceae, algae closely related to land plants that play a key role in carbon storage. My research explores how these algae adapt under warming, both as individual strains and within multi-species communities, to understand the ecological and evolutionary processes shaping their responses.

Researchgate

Recent publications

Ambrosino, L., Riccardi, A., Welling, M. S., & Lauritano, C. (2024). Comparative Transcriptomics to Identify RNA Writers and Erasers in Microalgae. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(15), 8005–8005.

Current projects

Bog ecosystems store large amounts of carbon, and their health depends on microscopic algae such as Zygnematophyceae. These algae are important primary producers, yet their responses to warming in species-rich communities remain poorly understood.

In my doctoral research, I investigate how single strains and multi-species communities of Zygnematophyceae adapt to elevated temperatures. I focus on changes in growth, traits, and community composition, comparing isolated strains with interacting communities to explore how species interactions shape evolutionary outcomes.

By linking individual, community, and ecosystem-level responses, this project aims to shed light on how key primary producers may adapt to climate change and how these adaptations could affect the carbon storage capacity and stability of bog ecosystems.

Education

Ms.Sc. International Master of Science in Marine Biological Resources, University of Ghent, Belgium: 2023-2025

B.Sc. Biology, University of Hamburg, Germany: 2019-2023

Former employment and last projects

Professional Practice: Microalgae transcriptome mining, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Napoli, Italy: April – May 2024

Internship: Institute of Marine Conservation, Archipelagos, Lipsi, Greece: Oktober 2020 & May-July 2023

Student Research Assistant at University of Hamburg, Germany: November 2022 - January 2023

Volunteer in Science Communication, YOUMARES, Hamburg, Germany: April 2021 - March 2023