Research
Ecological Stoichiometry
We are trying to understand how organisms, mostly heterotrophic bacteria (but we care {just a little less} about other organisms). Specifically, we focus on how growth, temperature and nutrients affect the biomass composition of microbes. We examine changes in biomass composition of organisms in natural systems (soils, freshwater, oceans) as well as in a laboratory setting, with a strong emphasis on chemostats in the latter. We have funding from the Department of Energy's CSP program to characterize the genomes of isolates from Minnesota lakes and to try and understand the genes that are likely to have the biggest effects on the stoichiometry of these organisms.
Effects of Land Use and Climate on Microbial Metagenomes
We are particularly interested in the role of agriculture and urban settings on the microbes that are present in aquatic ecosystems. We have funding from the University of Minnesota's College of Biological Sciences and the Department of Energy to characterize the microbes present in systems with varying land-use properties.
Dissolved Organic Matter in Freshwaters
We are interested in the lability, stoichiometry and quantity of DOM in freshwaters. Current projects focus on DOM stoichiometry and relationships between its lability, hydrology and productivity. We are funded through the USGS to examine the role of buffer strips on DOM lability and composition.
