THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE AQUATIC MICROBIAL ECOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP

 

 

Steven W. Wilhelm -  Professor OF Microbiology 

 

Office: 865-974-0665    Labs: 865-974-0682  or  865-974-4014

OCEANOGRAPHY   -   LIMNOLOGY  -   MICROBIAL ECOLOGY
 

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

  • Quantifying the impact of marine and freshwater viruses on aquatic food webs

  • Developing diagnostic biosensors for the bioavailability of Fe in aquatic systems

  • Characterizing microbial community dynamics in the Lake Erie Dead Zone  The MELEE project

  • Resolving the ecology of the Aureococcus anophagefferens virus / host system using metaproteomics 

  • Resolving the interactions between cyanophages and toxic cyanobacteria in aquatic systems

  • Developing real time quantitative molecular tools for the study of toxic cyanobacterial ecology

  • Proteomic approaches to understanding the causes of Microcystis blooms

            MERHAB-LGL    AND        The Lake Taihu project
 

Research Team

See their smiling faces on the lab's picture board

  • Gary LeCleir, Ph.D.,  Postdoctoral Research Associate

  • Matthew Saxton, B.Sc., Doctoral Candidate (Microbiology)

  • Audrey Matteson, M.Sc., Doctoral Candidate (Microbiology)

  • Emily Rogers, M.Sc.,  Doctoral Candidate (Fisheries & Wildlife Science)

  • Star Loar, B.Sc.,  Master's Candidate (Microbiology)

  • Larissa Caudill, B.Sc.,  Master's Candidate (Microbiology)

  • Lindsay Kuhnhein, B.Sc.,  Research Assistant

  • Kellina Morris, Undergraduate Research Assistant

  • Sarah Farnsley, Undergraduate Research Assistant

  • Miriam Kramer, Undergraduate Journalism Intern

  • Cara Turski, Undegraduate Research Assistant

  • Christina Kihm, Precollegiate Scholars Program

 Winter Assessment of Microbial and Biological Activity - Lake Erie - Feb 2007

Net tow samples collected from iced-over (left) and ice-free (right) areas in Lake Erie in February 2007.

Scientists and crew work to clear a spot in the ice to sample - Lake Erie Feb 2007

Sunset over a very cold Lake Erie

LOST AT SEA -  video compilations from recent research cruises


FeCycle II: September - October 2008 on the RV Tangaroa

Other videos from research cruises are archived here

 

Big News on Small Things - Happenings in the Aquatic Microbial Ecology Research Group

In the summer of 2008, science journalist Joel Smithson will be working with the Aquatic Microbial Ecology Research Group to document the progress and experiences of student and staff researchers. 
Higher Ground Newsletter 


Exploring the sea in Tennessee

Click to see the recent article in  Higher Ground on Oceanographers at the University of Tennessee

 

 

 

            Affiliations

 

Recent Publications

  • Leblanc, K., Hare, C. E., Feng, Y., Berg, G. M., DiTullio, G. R., Neeley, A., Benner, I., Sprengel, C., Beck, A., Sanudo-Wilhelmy, S. A., Passow, U., Klinck, K., Rowe, J. M., Wilhelm, S. W., Brown, C. W., and Hutchins, D. A. 2009.  Distribution of calcifying and silicifying phytoplankton in relation to environmental and biogeochemical parameters during the late stages of the 2005 North East Atlantic Spring Bloom, Biogeosciences Discuss., 6, 5789-5847.

  • Cusick KD, GL Boyer, SW Wilhelm, GS Sayler Transcriptional profiling of Saccharomyces cerevisiae upon exposure to saxitoxin. Environmental Science and Technology (accepted).

  • Allender CJ, GR LeCleir, JM Rinta-Kanto, RL Small, MF Satchwell, GR Boyer, SW Wilhelm.  2009. Identifying the source of unknown microcystin genes and predicting microcystin variants by comparing genes within uncultured cyanobacterial cells. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 75:3598 - 3604  doi:10.1128/AEM.02448-08

  • Sharma AK, K Sommerfeld, GS Bullerjahn, AR Matteson, SW Wilhelm, J Jezbera, U Brandt, W F Doolittle, MW Hahn. 2009. Actinorhodopsin genes discovered diverse in freshwater habitats and among cultivated Actinobacteria. The ISME Journal 3: 726-737.   Doi:10.1038/ismej.2009.13

  • Rinta-Kanto JM, JM DeBruyn, EA Konopko, RA Bourbonniere, GL Boyer, and SW Wilhelm.  2009. Lake Erie Microcystis: relationship between microcystin production, dynamics of genotypes and environmental parameters in a large lake.  Harmful Algae. 8: 665-673.   doi:10.1016/j.hal.2008.12.004

  • DeBruyn JM, TJ Mead, SW Wilhelm, GS Sayler. 2009 PAH biodegradative genotypes in Lake Erie sediments: Evidence for broad geographical distribution of pyrene-degrading Mycobacteria.  Environmental Science and Technology 43:3467-3473   doi:10.1021/es803348g

  • Higgins JL, I Kudo, J Nishioka, A Tsuda, and SW Wilhelm. 2009. The response of the virus community to a mesoscale iron fertilization in the sub-Arctic Pacific Ocean. Deep Sea Research pt II. (accepted).

  • Rinta-Kanto JM, MA Saxton, JM DeBruyn, JL Smith, CH Marvin, KA Krieger, GS Sayler, GL Boyer, SW Wilhelm. 2009. The diversity and distribution of toxigenic Microcystis spp. in present day and archived pelagic and sediment samples from Lake Erie. Harmful Algae 8: 385–394.    

  • Short SM, F Chen, SW Wilhelm. The construction and analysis of marker gene libraries for virus in aquatic systems.  Manual for aquatic virus ecology. In  Manual for aquatic virus ecology. American Society for Limnology (accepted).

  • Weinbauer MG, JM Rowe and SW Wilhelm.  2009.  MAVE: Determining rates of virus production in aquatic systems by the viral reduction approach. In  Manual for aquatic virus ecology. American Society for Limnology (accepted).

  • Feng Y, CE Hare, K Leblanc, JM Rose, Y Zhang, GR DiTullio, P Lee, SW Wilhelm, JM Rowe, J Sun, N Nemcek, C Gueguen, U Passow, I Benner, C Brown,  DA. Hutchins The Effects of Increased pCO2 and Temperature on the North Atlantic Spring Bloom: I. The Phytoplankton Community and Biogeochemical Response. Marine Ecology Progress Series (accepted)

  • Lee PA, JR Rudisill, AR Neeley, DA Hutchins, Y Feng, CE Hare, K Leblanc, JM Rose, SW Wilhelm, JM Rowe, GR DiTullio. 2009. Effects of increased pCO2 and temperature on the North Atlantic Spring Bloom. III. Dimethylsulfoniopropionate. Marine Ecology Progress Series (accepted)

 

Link to all publications (including PDFs or Abstracts) 

 

Web of Science Research Index
 

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 updated 06/19/2009