Adam Martiny LAB
The Ubiquitous Microbes
During the last two decades, it has become clear that microbes are present in practically all corners of the world - from the hot springs of Yellowstone to the deep subsurface of the ocean. DNA methods have uncovered a hitherto unknown biodiversity and conservative estimates predicts that microorganisms constitute more than 50% of the total biomass on Earth. Due to their diversity and abundance, microbes are significant contributors to most nutrient cycles in the global ecosystem and play a key role in climate regulation.
So microbes are important but they are also incredible fascinating. Due to their small size and large abundance, they can rapidly evolve and adapt to new conditions. The aim of the Martiny lab at UCIrvine is to understand how bacteria evolve and adapt to changes in the environment. This can either be spatial differences in the oceans (i.e. how does bacteria evolve to compete in nitrogen vs. phosphate limited areas of the ocean?) or temporal where they may evolve as a result of global climate change. Most of the work in the lab focus on bacteria living in the open ocean (e.g. Prochlorococcus). The lab has close interactions with researchers from both Department of Earth System Science and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
Join us!
If you are interested in marine microbiology, you are encouraged to join the Martiny lab
If you are a UC-Irvine student, there are many opportunities for conducting research as part your undergraduate studies.
Images from left:
Genome atlas of Prochlorococcus MIT9312
Chlorophyll a concentration in oceans
CO2 and temperature variation
(Based on Antartica ice core data and Mauna Lau Observatory, Petit et al, 2004)
Prochlorococcus SS120 micrograph
