Marine bacteria
The main objectives of our research is to (1) understand how bacteria adapt to different environmental conditions and (2) how the resulting diversity influences global biogeochemical cycles. Most of the work is done on the unicellular marine cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus, but we are also interested in other organisms. The goal is to understand the relationship between variation in the physical environment, genome composition, and phylogeny – and how that all ties together in shaping biogeochemical cycles.
Current projects:
Nutrient assimilation in marine cyanobacteria
Biological controls of ocean C:N:P ratios
MICRO: Microorganisms in Coastal Region of Orange County
We also work on several projects that are more general and not specifically focused on marine bacteria. This includes examining how bacteria respond to simulated global change in a terrestrial grassland ecosystem.
Response and resilience of microbial functions in response to global change
Phylogenetic distribution of functional traits in microorganisms