Coastal seasonal microbiome and harmful algal blooms
Seasonal changes are crucial in marine microbiomes and can impact nutrient availability, light availability, dissolved oxygen levels, and community interactions. Complex biological and physical processes contribute to microbial community turn over. Understanding what factors contribute to shifts in microbial community structure and what organisms correlate with changes in the products of photosynthesis can improve our understanding of nearshore microbial ecosystem functions.
This project involves a time series to track changes of coastal microbiome in Southern California at the Scripps Pier and the occurrence of phytoplankton blooms and when the bloom has a negative impact on the ecosystem denoting presence of harmful algae bloom (HAB).
Publications:
Wilson, J. M., Erazo, N., Connors, E., Chamberlain, E. J., Clements, S. M., Carter, M. L., … Bowman, J. S. (2022). Substantial microbial community shifts in response to an exceptional harmful algal bloom in coastal Southern California. Elem Sci Anth, 10(1), 00088.
Wilson, J. M., Chamberlain, E. J., Erazo, N., Carter, M. L., Bowman, J. S. (2021). Recurrent microbial community types driven by nearshore and seasonal processes in coastal Southern California. Environmental Microbiology, 23(6), 3225-3239.