Research Notes - Moore on Oceans
Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Lisa Moore studies
phytoplankton, the basic organism of the oceanic food chain.
Besides supporting the food base for fish and whales, phytoplankton
produce oxygen and may even play a role in adjusting carbon
dioxide levels that contribute to global warming.While these
tiny organisms are vital to life, scientists need to know
much more about them.
Moore, a marine microbial ecologist, studies a class of phytoplankton,
the cyanobacteria, that is the most abundant type, contributing
as much as 80 percent of the photosynthesis in the world's
oceans. According to her colleagues, Moore is the leading
expert in the world on how to culture a type of cyanobacteria
in a lab setting.
Over the last few decades, scientists’ understanding
of the oceans has changed. While the past focus was the importance
of nitrogen as a nutrient that supports ocean life, they realize
now that at least in some parts of the ocean, the availability
of phosphorus and iron is critical.
Moore studies the physiological response of cyanobacteria
to availability of nutrients, including phosphorus. Her work
adds to scientific understanding of how different subtypes
of phytoplankton, with physiological characteristics individual
to the type, contribute to stabilizing the overall population
of phytoplankton through seasonal and other oceanic changes.
Moore is studying how different subtypes respond to light
and nutrient levels. Because of the diversity of characteristics
among subtypes, the overall population can maintain a fairly
constant concentration as subtypes dwindle or increase in
density. Her research is important to oceanographic knowledge.
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