Collecting comparative samples for our August trip looking at heatwave impacts on bacterioplankton and animal microbiome (November 17-20)

This summer, aquatic environments around the Southeastern US and the Caribbean experienced an unprecedented heatwave, with one site in coastal Florida (Manatee Bay, FL) surpassing 38 °C. Fueled by climate change, temperature anomalies, such as the heatwave this summer, are expected to be exacerbated by El Niño. In collaboration with the Cornell Marine Mass Mortality Laboratory (Dr. Ian Hewson), we are investigating if microbes can impact disturbances by amplifying or muting disturbance feedback loops. by 1) discerning the effects of the altered functional capacity and community composition from the episodic heatwave disturbance on the resiliency and resistance of microbial communities, and 2) assessing if alterations to water column microbiomes may disrupt stable state tissue communities on animal surfaces.