Das Projekt "NOIRAIGUE - Teilprojekt C: Rolle, Transport und Wecheselwirkungen von Mikroorganismen mit biotischen und abiotischen Partikeln und Kolloiden (ROTIMIC)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universite de Neuchatel, Faculte des Sciences, Institut de Botanique, Laboratoire de Microbiologie durchgeführt. Future research will be undertaken mainly in two domains: A) Bacteriology domain: Our research on bacterial particles have the following goals: - To study the distribution of the different bacterial communities at different sampling points: in the Bied and in the Noiraigue spring. - To study the transport of bacteria in the karstic system, according to different metabolisms and physical characteristics. - To study the influence of selected colloidal particles on the metabolism and the protection of bacterial cell. B) Virology domain: The second goal of this project is to study the behavior (transport and survival) of different bacterial viruses (bacteriophages) in the Bied river and in the karstic system. All the observation and enumeration methods involved in this second part have been adapted and developed in our previous work. Complementary information: Microorganisms are implied in the formation, transport, transformation and destruction of biotic and a biotic particles and colloids. They are particles by themselves. Model microorganisms will be chosen to study the behavior of similar cells and particles in a complex system, comprising soils, surface water, inorganic and organic porous aquifers and karstic aquifers. Two type of bio-particles will be studied: bacteriophages (bacterial viruses, order of 0,1 micrometer in size) and bacterial cells (order of 1 micrometer in size). The relationships of the bioparticles with the liquid and solid phases of the ecosystems considered (survival, adsorption, transport) will be studied in the laboratory. Column and field tracing experiments will complete this approach.