Phytoplankton Molecular Physiology

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Marine phytoplankton are floating photosynthetic organisms drawn from at least 10 major evolutionary lineages. Their photosynthesis, mediated by a system of highly conserved protein complexes, underpins biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nitrogen. These phytoplankton thus share the challenge of balancing light capture with metabolism. Phytoplankton now face unprecedented changes in CO2, nutrients, temperature, and ice cover, which in turn alter their light environment and competitive interactions. We use physiological and molecular analyses to understand how diverse phytoplankton allocate their resources to respond to climate change. Our Scientific Approach builds upon our growing expertises in: i) Physiological analyses of phytoplankton, including chlorophyll fluorescence, whole cell absorbance, oxygen production and defined culturing systems. ii) Developing and characterizing antibody-based systems and robust extraction protocols for quantitative analyses of the protein compositions of phytoplankton. Our team combines this expertise to generate insights into the acclimation processes, resource allocations and molecular organization of major phytoplankton groups. We collaborate with biological modelers to understand resource allocations and competition across phytoplankton, which we test through our participation in oceanographic cruises. We train HQP and visiting scientists who proceed to positions in basic research, industrial research, science policy and health sciences. Our NSERC Discovery research program also provides the key intellectual substrate for technology transfers that generate systems for quantifying proteins that are now exported around the world.