Effects of wildfires on marine microbial communities 1 minute read

From Jan From Jan 7-31, 2025, the highly destructive Palisades fire burned in the Santa Monica Mountains, consuming about 96 square kilometers of wildlands and built structures immediately adjacent to the California Current marine ecosystem.Hundreds of thousands of gallons of Phos-Chek fire retardant (ammonium phosphate) were deposited to fight the fire. On Jan 26-27, Feb 5-6, and Feb 12-15, significant rain washed ash, debris, and fire retardant into the ocean either directly or indirectly via creeks, groundwater, and sewer outflows. How will these sudden, massive inputs impact natural marine microbial communities in the Santa Monica Bay and beyond?

We mobilized to... read more

The basis of nutrient colimitation less than 1 minute read

Nutrient availability is a key control on the growth and activity of microbes. Usually nutrient limitations are considered individually, but this ignores the reality of nature: often, many nutrients are simultaneously deplete.

Our understanding of the phenomenon of microbial growth when multiple nutrients are dilute is limited by lack of a unifed framework. Together with our collaborators at Rutgers University and ETH Zurich, we are working to fill that gap.

Further work will focus on the molecular basis and biogeochemical implications of nutrient colimitation.

The project uses mathematical modelling, concepts in theoretical biology, physiology and molecular analysis.

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Protein modification in marine microbes less than 1 minute read

Proteins are the literal molecular machines that perform biochemical transformations within cells and connect the inner life of cells to the external environment. Protein activity, particularly of key enzymes such as the photosynthetic enzymes and nitrogenase, is an important biogeochemical parameter.

Protein activity can be modulated by changes in protein concentration (as we can measure through proteomics), but also through changes in protein 3D shape. Protein 3D shape can change dynamically over time due to protein-metabolite interactions, protein-protein interactions, and post translational modifications.

We are developing conceptually simple strategies to measure protein conformational changes in marine microbes. We work with collaborators at... read more