The Sosa Lab is interested in the biochemical and geochemical functions mediated by microbial plankton communities in the ocean. We blend microbiology, genetics, genomics, and culturing approaches in the laboratory with oceanographic and biogeochemical field studies to understand how these functions impact nutrient cycling, carbon flow, and the ecology of microbes in the sea. Of special interest to our group are microbial functions that cycle organic phosphorus and nitrogen compounds in marine surface waters and processes that produce methane under aerobic conditions.