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Department of Microbiology and Immunology: Dr. Laura Parfrey
March 12, 2019 @ 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Dr. Laura Parfrey
Assistant Professor, Department of Botany and Zoology
University of British Columbia
“Microbiome assembly on seaweeds and seagrasses”
Tuesday, Mar 12, 2019 12: 30 pm, LSC 3
Host: Dr. Lisa Osborne
Abstract: Multicellular marine organisms host diverse collections of microbes (bacteria, protists, and others) on their surface and within their tissues. These microbes are integral to the biology of the host, playing key roles in defense, development, and nutrient acquisition. Yet, we do not understand basic parameters of community assembly and dynamics on marine hosts. For example, is there a core microbiota for each species that performs essential functions? Are microbial taxa species-specific, or are they broadly shared across seaweed species? Importantly, microbiota is not a cohesive unit, but a dynamic collection of microbes that are variably acquired from the environment, from neighbors, and occasionally vertically. Sampling strategies that enable the transmission dynamics and evolutionary history of individual taxa to be disentangled can assist in identifying key members of the microbiota. In a survey of 35 seaweed species and their environment we show that most bacteria are shared across seaweeds and with the environment, while few are characteristic of seaweed species and these are not phylogenetically structured.
Sponsored by: The Department of Microbiology and Immunology
