Dissecting the complex interactions of marine bacteria and phytoplankton: A microbiota approach

Bacteria forming close associations with eukaryotic hosts, called microbiota, exert great influences on the biology and physiology of their hosts and could dictate host ecological success. My lab investigates the binary and synergistic interactions of members of these microbiota on the physiology and ecology of the marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia, with a special focus on their influences on algal fitness, algal toxin production, and how these microbial assemblages change at different phases of a Pseudo-nitzschia bloom. Our findings suggest that the interactions between Pseudo-nitzschia and their microbiota may dictate the presence or absence of domoic acid during Pseudo-nitzschia blooms.

Speaker: Marilou Sison-Mangus, UC Santa Cruz