As a group we are interested in how microbes shape their environment and how environmental conditions shape microbial community structure and function. Major projects in the lab currently uses a variety of classical and metagenomic tools to study viruses, bacteria, cyanobacteria and planktonic algae in these systems. The group is especially interested in the role of microbes in carbon cycles and ecosystems scale biogeochemical cycles. We combine laboratory and field (ocean-going) research experiments to try and understand how these microbes shape our planet.

More information, see lab page.

• Saxton MA, EA Morrow, RA Bourbonniere and SW Wilhelm. 2011. Glyphosate influence on phytoplankton community structure in Lake Erie. Journal of Great Lakes Research 37:683 - 690.
• Matteson AR, SN Loar, RA Bourbonniere and SW Wilhelm. 2011. Molecular enumeration of a cyanophage in a Laurentian Great Lake: quantitative evidence for ecological importance. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 77:6772-6779
• King AL, SA Sañudo-Wilhelmy, PW Boyd, BS Twining, SW Wilhelm, C Breene, MJ Ellwood and DA Hutchins. 2011. A comparison of biogenic iron quotas during a diatom spring bloom using multiple approaches. Biogeosciences (posted for discussion)
• Budinoff, C.R., S. Loar, G. R. LeCleir, S. W. Wilhelm and A. Buchan. 2011. Comparison of membrane filters for enumeration of marine viruses by epifluorescence microscopy. BMC Microbiology 11:168
• Weinbauer MG, O Bonilla-Findji, AM Chan, M Agis, JR Dolan, SM Short, K Šimek, SW Wilhelm and CA Suttle. 2011. Synechococcus growth in the ocean may depend on the lysis of heterotrophic bacteria. Journal of Plankton Research 33:1465-1476.
• Wilhelm SW and GL Boyer. 2011. Healthy competition. Nature Climate Change 1:300-301
• Jiao N, GJ Herndl, DA Hansell, R Benner, G Kattner, SW Wilhelm, DL Kirchman, MG Weinbauer, T Luo, F Chen and F Azam. 2011. The microbial carbon pump and the oceanic recalcitrant dissolved organic matter pool. Nature Reviews Microbiology 9:555-556.
• Weinbauer MG, F Chen and SW Wilhelm. 2011. Virus-mediated redistribution and partitioning of carbon in the global oceans. In: N. Jiao, F. Azam, S. Sanders, [eds]Microbial Carbon Pump in the Ocean. (Science/AAAS, Washington, DC), pp. 54-56.
• Gobler CJ, DL Berry, ST Dyhrman, SW Wilhelm, A Salamov, AV Lobanov, Y Zhang, JL Collier, LL Wurch, AB Kustka, BD Dill, M Shah, NC VerBerkmoes, A Kuo, A Terry, J Pangilinan, E Lindquist, S Lucas, I Paulsen, TK Hattenrath, SC Talmage, EA Walker, F Koch, AM Burson, MA Marcoval, Y-Z Tang, GR LeCleir, KJ Coyne, GM Berg, EM Bertrand, MA Saito, V Gladyshev, IV Grigoriev. 2011. Niche of harmful alga Aureococcus anophagefferens revealed through ecogenomics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA 108:4352-4357.
• Rowe JM, MF Fabre, D Gobena, WH Wilson and SW Wilhelm. 2011. Application of the major capsid protein as a marker of phylogenetic diversity of Emiliania huxleyi viruses. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 76:373-380.
• Rogers EM, TB Henry, MJ Twiner, JS Gouffon, JT McPherson, GL Boyer, GS Sayler and SW Wilhelm. 2011. Global gene expression profiling in larval zebrafish exposed to microcystin-LR and Microcystis reveals endocrine disrupting effects of cyanobacteria. Environmental Science and Technology 45:1962-1969.
• Poorvin L, SG Sander, I Velasquez, E Ibisanmi, GR LeCleir and SW Wilhelm. 2011. Comparative bioavailability and Fe-binding of a catecholate siderophore and virus-mediated lysates from the marine bacterium Vibrio alginolyticus PWH3a. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 399:43-47.
• Wilhelm SW, SE Farnsley, GR LeCleir, AC Layton, MF Satchwell, JM DeBruyn, GL Boyer, G Zhu, and HW Paerl. 2011. The relationship between nutrients, cyanobacterial toxin and the microbial community in Lake Tai (Taihu),China. Harmful Algae 10:207-215.
• Polson, SW, SW Wilhelm and KE Wommack. 2011. Unraveling the viral tapestry (from the inside out). 2011. The ISME Journal 5:165-168

Link to Publications

B.S., 1989, University of Western Ontario

Ph.D., 1994, University of Western Ontario

Postdoctoral Fellow, 1995-1997, The University of Texas & The University of British Columbia

NSERC Visiting Scientist, 1997-1998, Environmental Canada