Alison Taylor
(MBA Research Fellow)
Principle Investigator Phytoplankton Physiology.
Click here for brief CV
Email: arta@mba.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)1752 633348
Fax: +44 (0)1752 633100
Margaret Davey
(NERC Postdoctoral Research Assistant)
Email: msd@mba.ac.uk
Phytoplankton plasma membrane redox activity; interaction with nutrient
acquisition, photosynthesis and redox poise.
Plasma membrane electron transport is a ubiquitous process in eukaryotic
organisms. However, the prevalence, physiological role and physiochemical
consequences of eukaryotic phytoplankton plasma membrane electron transport
are unknown. Cell surface reduction as a strategy for diatom trace metal
acquisition has been documented but the precise mechanism needs to be determined.
Moreover, reduction of Fe-chelates accounts for only a fraction of total
constitutive capacity for plasma membrane electron transport. In this project
we are addressing the need for a thorough understanding of the cellular
mechanisms that mediate and regulate constitutive plasma membrane reduction
in diatoms and the relevance to trace metal acquisition. We will also establish
to what extent diatom plasma membrane electron transport can contribute
peroxide production in aquatic environments. The outcomes of this research
will therefore significantly contribute to our understanding of how eukaryotic
phytoplankton impact aquatic chemistry in the euphotic zone. See also Angie
Milne’s project below.
Helen Goddard (BBSRC
Postdoctoral Research Assistant)
Email: hgod@mba.ac.uk
Calcium Homeostasis and Calcification in Coccolithophores
Characterization of the pathway of calcium transport to the site of calcification
in coccolithophorid phytoplankton. This project is jointly supervised with
Professor Colin Brownlee (MBA Senior Research Fellow). The work employs
mainly electrophysiological and confocal imaging approaches to determine
the major pathways for calcium transport across the plasma membrane and
to the coccolith vesicle.
TBA (EU Diatomics Postdoctoral Research
Assistant)
Functional characterisation of diatom nutrient transporters
This project sets out to determination the native transport properties of
key diatom species in order to provide a physiological framework upon which
to interpret genomic information. A key element is the functional characterization
of key membrane transport and genes that underlie nutrient acquisition using
a combination of complementation, heterologous expression, electrophysiology
and imaging.
Angie Milne
(NERC tied CASE PhD student, co-supervisor Dr Eric Achterberg)
Email: angela.milne@plymouth.ac.uk
Iron uptake by marine diatoms
Iron (Fe) is an essential micro-nutrient for living organisms and plays
an important role in plankton productivity in the ocean, and hence is involved
in the uptake and production of gases associated with climate change (e.g.
CO2 and dimethylsulfide). There are currently, however, large gaps in our
knowledge of Fe biogeochemistry, its distribution in the ocean and its intrinsic
relationship with biological organisms. The concentration of biologically
available iron in seawater is usually very low and often limits phytoplankton
productivity. How phytoplankton obtain sufficient Fe is not well understood.
The goal of this work is to determine if constitutive and/or inducible plasma
membrane redox enzymes are utilized by diatoms to acquire iron at relevant
environmental concentrations of Fe-chelates.
Turki Al-Said (PhD student,
University of Plymouth/SOC and Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research)
Email: tfa@soc.soton.ac.uk
Time series analysis of dissolved trace metal species during the life cycle
of coastal phytoplankton.
Phytoplankton exert a major influence on the cycling of trace elements in
ocean waters. In contrast, relatively little is known about the influence
of phytoplankton on trace metal speciation in coastal waters. This project
is undertaking a time series analysis of dissolved trace metal species during
the lifecycle of Emiliania huxleyi. Of particular importance is the impact
of viral infection on the trace metal speciation.
Ms Deirdre McLachlan,
(NERC PhD student, University of Essex) Algal biofilm physiology
Toby Collins (BBSRC Research Technician) Calcium Homeostasis and Calcification
in Coccolithophores
Jessica Tatton Brown (MRes, University of Plymouth) Reactive oxygen species
formation by diatoms
Mr Mark Russell, University of Plymouth (MRes). Calcium transport in coccolithophores.