I am interested in how nutrient
availability impacts the distributions and abundances of phytoplankton.
Much of my work focuses on the development and application of molecular
or biochemical techniques that we can use to determine the nutritional physiology
of different phytoplankton species. We currently have field programs going
on in the Puget Sound and the Sargasso Sea. General project topics include:
Detection of harmful algae (Alexandrium
) in Puget Sound, WA by quantitative PCR
Dissolved organic phophorus cycling in the
coastal ocean
Zinc biogeochemistry and its relationship to
cobalt, phosphorus and phytoplankton dynamics
Iron and phosphorus bioavailability and influence
on oceanic carbon and nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen stress markers for harmful algae
Cyanobacteria (Trichodesmium) genome
annotation
Assaying for phytoplankton phosphorus stress
in marine systems
