Justin Berg

Position

PhD Student - Marine Biology 

Biography

My interest in coral reef microbial ecology largely stems from my experience as an undergraduate researcher and interest in the ocean and microbes. While at the University of Delaware, I joined Dr. Amy Biddle’s lab where I studied the equine gut microbiome and learned high throughput sequencing techniques. Towards the end of my time at UD, I became scuba certified that ultimately led me to a coral restoration internship through Mote Marine Lab in the Florida Keys. After a year of learning coral restoration and aquaculture techniques, I moved to Guam to begin my master’s degree under Dr. Bastian Bentlage in the UoG EPSCoR program. Through this program, I studied the coral microbiome in a degraded watershed across the wet and the dry season. This opportunity allowed me to mentor a handful of undergraduate and high school students while collaborating on various projects ranging from coral photo-physiology, coral microbial ecology, and large-scale data management. Through these amazing opportunities, I landed a spot in Dr. Craig Nelson’s lab pursuing a PhD in Marine Biology at UH Mānoa. Currently, I will conduct my USGS funded project with Dr. Craig Nelson and Dr. Megan Donahue studying the effects of a degraded and non-degraded watershed on the coral microbiome across the wet and dry season.

Research Interests

My research interests include anthropogenic stressors on coral communities, more specifically on the coral microbial communities. I am especially interested in the effect watersheds play on nearshore reefs and how humans can alter this ridge-to-reef dynamic. In the future, I also hope to research other areas that affect coral resilience. Through great mentorship with Dr. Amy Biddle at the University of Delaware and Dr. Bastian Bentlage at the University of Guam, I hope to pay it forward and continue to be involved in mentoring future young local researchers in the coral reef and marine biology field.

Education

2012-2017 B.S. Pre-Veterinary Medicine and Animal Biosciences, B.A. Biology, Minor Chemistry, University of Delaware

2018-2022 M.S. in Biology, University of Guam

Publications

Crandall, Eric & Toczydlowski, Rachel & Liggins, Libby & Holmes, Ann & Ghoojaei, Maryam & Gaither, Michelle & Wham, Briana & Pritt, Andrea & Noble, Cory & Anderson, Tanner & Barton, Randi & Berg, Justin & Beskid, Sofia & Delgado, Alonso & Farrell, Emily & Himmelsbach, Nan & Queeno, Samantha & Trinh, Thienthanh & Weyand, Courtney & Toonen, Robert. (2023). The importance of timely metadata curation to the global surveillance of genetic diversity. Conservation Biology. 10.1111/cobi.14061. 

Fifer, James & Bui, Vy & Berg, Justin & Kriefall, Nicola & Klepac, Courtney & Bentlage, Bastian & Davies, Sarah. (2022). Microbiome Structuring Within a Coral Colony and Along a Sedimentation Gradient. Frontiers in Marine Science. 8. 10.3389/fmars.2021.805202. 

Toczydlowski, Rachel & Liggins, Libby & Gaither, Michelle & Anderson, Tanner & Barton, Randi & Berg, Justin & Beskid, Sofia & Davis, Beth & Delgado, Alonso & Farrell, Emily & Ghoojaei, Maryam & Himmelsbach, Nan & Holmes, Ann & Queeno, Samantha & Trinh, Thienthanh & Weyand, Courtney & Bradburd, Gideon & Riginos, Cynthia & Toonen, Robert & Crandall, Eric. (2021). Poor data stewardship will hinder global genetic diversity surveillance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 118. e2107934118. 10.1073/pnas.2107934118. 

Berg, Justin & David, Charlotte & Gabriel, Melissa & Bentlage, Bastian. (2021). Fluorescence signatures of persistent photosystem damage in the staghorn coral Acropora cf. pulchra (Anthozoa: Scleractinia) during bleaching and recovery. Marine Biology Research. 16. 1-13. 10.1080/17451000.2021.1875245. 

Berg, Justin & Chambers, B. & Siegel, H. & Biddle, Amy. (2017). Equine microbiome project: Understanding differences in the horse gut microbiome related to diet. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 52. 94. 10.1016/j.jevs.2017.03.138. 

Chambers, B.M. & Biddle, Amy & Nelson, H.G. & Berg, Justin. (2017). Optimization of molecular techniques for the identification of small strongyles. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 52. 59. 10.1016/j.jevs.2017.03.059.