Special Oceanography Seminar

Craig E. Nelson, PhD
Assistant Specialist
University of California, Santa Barbara
Marine Science Institute

Bacterial Metabolism of Dissolved Organic Matter: Linking microbial ecology to ecosystem process from mountain to reef to ocean

Abstract: Bacteria are the most abundant and diverse organisms on the planet, and to a large extent their metabolism regulates Earth's biogeochemical cycles. The deep phylogenetic diversity of uncultured bacteria dwarfs that of all animals, plants, and fungi combined, but understanding the most basic ecology of these organisms requires that they be examined in their natural habitats. By conducting studies of bacterial distributions, abundance and metabolism in the context of long term ecosystem research we can answer fundamental ecological questions both about the structure of microbial communities and about the ecosystem processes they regulate. This seminar will present case studies investigating the relationship between hyper-diverse communities of aquatic heterotrophic bacteria and the complex dissolved organic matter which they metabolize for energy and biomass. In particular I will emphasize how gaining insights into the utilization of resources by aquatic bacterial populations can inform our understanding of long term ecosystem change in watersheds, coastal zones, and the open ocean. I will also discuss how an integrated understanding of microbial biogeochemistry across these three interconnected habitats can inform efforts to manage coastal ecosystems.

*Dr. Nelson is a candidate for the tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Oceanography as part of the UH Coastal Sustainability Cluster.*

Ticket Information
Free

Event Sponsor
Oceanography, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Ocean Student, 956-7633, ocean@soest.hawaii.edu

Tweet