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   SCOR WG 126

• Developing better models for marine biogeochemical (Fe, Carbon) cycles and understanding the role of microbes  SCOR WG 134

• Characterizing microbial community dynamics in the Lake Erie Dead Zone  

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

• Developing real time quantitative molecular tools for the study of toxic cyanobacterial ecology    The Lake Taihu project    

• Proteomic approaches to understanding the causes of Microcystis blooms  

• Algal physiology and model systems for biofuels

People                      Publications                      Web of Science Research Index

 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

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. 

Exploring the sea in Tennessee

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

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August 2009.  Work in the Wilhelm lab was recently featured on the MoBio web site,  a company that makes molecular biology kits.

August 2009.  Science journalism intern Miriam Kramer recently completed the newsletter for the Department of Microbiology.

September 2009. Our winter research with collaborators in New York and Ohio is featured in the Twineline.

 Affiliations

• Department of Microbiology, UTK

• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UTK

• Center for Environmental Biotechnology, UTK

• UTK/ORNL Program in Genome Science and Technology, UTK 

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN...

• Star Loar   Seasonal Variation in Lake Erie Picoplankton (M.Sc. 2009)

• Janet Rowe  Ecological aspects of viruses in marine systems (Ph.D. 2008)

• Johanna Rinta-Kanto Biogeography and genetic diversity of toxin producing cyanobacteria in a Laurentian Great Lake (PhD. 2006)

• Leo Poorvin The role of viruses in Fe cycling in the World's oceans (Ph.D. 2005) 

• Julie L. Higgins Virus dynamics in high nutrient - low chlorophyll marine surface waters (M.Sc. 2005)

• Cécile E. Mioni Using a bioluminescent bacterial bioreporter to assess iron bioavailability in the ocean (Ph.D. 2004)            

• Melanie Eldridge The effects of Fe on plankton in HNLC regions of the world's oceans (Ph.D. 2004) 

• Amanda L. Dean The dynamics, distribution, and activity of viruses in Lake Erie (M.Sc. 2004)

• Shannon Pedigo-Eftland The effects of iron on growth and physiology of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa (M.Sc. 2004)

• Johanna Rinta-Kanto The effects of viral size class enrichments on microbial communities in marine systems   (M.Sc. 2001)

Former postdoctoral researchers

• Dr Anthony Ouellette, currently at Jacksonville University

• Dr Renhui Li, currently at the Institute of Hydrology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences