Basic Research for Bioregenerative Life Support Systems. 

Overview of the different projects in which the Animal Ecology I was involved:
A) Fallturm bei Bremen, B) Parabelflüge, C) Blue Origin, D) TeXus

As a permanent constant, gravity exerts a strong influence on the evolution of all organisms. Thus, a wide range of gravity perception systems is also known in aquatic organisms, although there is still little research on zooplankton in this regard. Furthermore, gravity is the only way for planktonic organisms to orient themselves under limited visual conditions (water turbidity, darkness). In this context, research on the influence of altered gravitational states (microgravity and hypergravity) on aquatic organisms is situated, which should help to subsequently develop a model for a bioregenerative life support system. In a first step, the relevance of gravity on the behavior (gravitaxis) and life cycle parameters of the experimental organisms will be tested. One focus is on the model organism Daphnia, since both the gravity-perceiving organs have not yet been fully elucidated, and the influence of gravity on the formation and reactivation of dauer stages has not yet been researched.