Cell density as a potential regulator of Type VI Secretion System in Vibrio fischeri When bacteria colonize a system, they must compete for space and nutrients. During the competition process, some bacteria can build a contact-dependent molecular weapon that injects … Read more
Adapting and Developing Quantitative Molecular Tools to Characterize Environmental Pathogen Dynamics Relevant to Shellfish Aquaculture Oysters are an important food source and economic asset for coastal communities. Though there have been efforts to expand the shellfish industry in coastal North … Read more
Drivers of marine phytoplankton diversity and connectivity in the Galápagos Archipelago spanning an ENSO cycle The Galápagos Islands lie on the intersection of multiple converging ocean currents, bringing unique environmental conditions to the archipelago which supports relatively high biodiversity and … Read more
Metagenomics Workflow to Assess the Genetic Diversity of the Vibrio-Squid Symbiosis Host-colonization sites containing low-diversity microbial populations present a unique problem when applying metagenomics approaches. For example, how does one extract information such as the number of unique genotypes and … Read more
Stepping stones into the desert: an experimental test of hybridization-facilitated range expansion in spadefoot toads. Hybridization between species often results in low-fitness offspring with reduced growth, survival, or fecundity. Such low fitness in hybrids is generally thought to derive from … Read more
Quantifying Precipitation-Induced Uncertainty in Flood Hazard Assessment for a Coastal Urban Area Flooding is the costliest disaster in the United States, and its impacts are projected to grow under climate and land use change. To prepare for and mitigate these … Read more
Wind Effects on Estuarine Circulation and Salinity Distribution Most research on estuarine dynamics to date has focused on tides as the main driver of vertical mixing. There has been less work on the role of wind, despite early predictions of … Read more
The Influence of Phytoplankton Productivity and Molecular Physiology on Biogeochemical Dynamics of Two Contrasting Ocean Environments Understanding the controls on oceanic primary production is crucial to elucidating it’s influence on global biogeochemical cycling, ocean health, and climate regulation under … Read more
Investigating the gene expression of mixotrophic phytoplankton under iron-limited upwelling conditions Mixotrophic phytoplankton may have significant impacts on ocean food web dynamics, biogeochemistry, and ecosystem stability. As global warming is expected to decrease iron bioavailability to phytoplankton, mixotrophs may … Read more
Effects of Nutrients and Light on Phytoplankton Growth in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina Oligohaline zones of estuaries are often subject to harmful algal blooms. Albemarle Sound and its tributaries in northeastern North Carolina comprise the largest oligohaline lagoon in … Read more
