Aquirufa
Biodiversity and ecology of freshwater bacteria
The bacterial genus Aquirufa, which was discovered and scientifically described in cooperation with pupils, is the eponym and focus of the research project. The aim is to research the ecology, biodiversity and distribution of Aquirufa in water bodies through the active and creative participation of citizen scientists in the entire research process.
Many people only know bacteria as pathogens, although only a small proportion of bacteria belong to this group. Environmental bacteria drive material cycles and are involved in primary production; without their metabolic activities, the ecosphere as we know it would not exist. They are also absolutely essential organisms for our ecosystems, such as water bodies. Despite this importance, there is still a great need for research. According to estimates, there are probably several million species of bacteria, but only a little over 20,000 of them have been named and described. This enormous wealth of species is therefore still largely undiscovered. The project therefore aims to draw attention to this world hidden from the naked eye and to awaken understanding for scientific work, especially basic research.
School classes and other citizen scientist groups will collect water samples from self-selected or specified water bodies and process them microbiologically under supervision. Smaller groups will also work in the laboratory and help with sampling campaigns. With the involvement of the citizen scientists, newly discovered Aquirufa species will also be scientifically named and described during the course of the project.
Interested citizens can participate in the project in workshops in Mondsee and in the Weitwörther Au (near Salzburg). More information is available on the project homepage. You can also follow the project on Instagram.
Citizen Science Seminar
In 2023, poject coordinator Alexandra Pitt held a lecture about the project Aquirufa (in German) as part of the lecture series "Citizen Science Seminar" at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU).
Video
Videos (in German)
Publications with the contribution of Citizen Scientists
Alexandra Pitt, Stefan Lienbacher, Johanna Schmidt, Meina Neumann‑Schaal, Jacqueline Wolf, and Martin W. Hahn (2024). Description of a new freshwater bacterium Aquirufa regiilacus sp. nov., classification of the genera Aquirufa, Arundinibacter, Sandaracinomonas, and Tellurirhabdus to the family Spirosomataceae, classification of the genus Chryseotalea to the family Fulvivirgaceae and Litoribacter to the family Cyclobacteriaceae, as well as classification of Litoribacter alkaliphilus as a later heterotypic synonym of Litoribacter ruber. Archives of Microbiology, Volume 206, article number 79. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00203-023-03801-8
Alexandra Pitt, Stefan Lienbacher, Johanna Schmidt, Meina Neumann-Schaal, Jacqueline Wolf, Hannah Wenng, Aharon Oren, Zoe Huber, Martin W. Hahn (online first). Biodiversity of strains belonging to the freshwater genus Aquirufa in a riparian forest restoration area in Salzburg, Austria, with a focus on the description of Aquirufa salirivi sp. nov. and Aquirufa novilacunae sp. nov. International Microbiology https://doi.org/10.1007/s10123-025-00642-x
Alexandra Pitt, Stefan Lienbacher, Johanna Schmidt, Meina Neumann-Schaal, Jacqueline Wolf, Aharon Oren, Sophia Reichl & Martin W. Hahn Aquirufa esocilacus sp. nov., Aquirufa originis sp. nov., Aquirufa avitistagni, and Aquirufa echingensis sp. nov. discovered in small freshwater habitats in Austria during a citizen science project. Archives of Microbiology, 207:71 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00203-025-04275-6
Pitt, A., & Hahn, M. (2023). Wissen schaffen mit Citizen Scientists: Biodiversität und Ökologie von Süßwasserbakterien. Biologie in Unserer Zeit, 53(3), 272–279. https://doi.org/10.11576/biuz-6525 (in German)
This project fulfils version 1.1 of the quality criteria for citizen science projects on Österreich forscht.
- land use
- water
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