Deana L. Erdner 

Assistant Professor, Department of Marine Science  Research Assistant Professor, Marine Science Institute Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (1997) B.S., Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University (1991)  Home page (Under Construction)

Phytoplankton Ecology

Harmful algae; marine dinoflagellates; physiology, biochemistry and genetics of nutrient stress; population biology; molecular methods for cell identification and enumeration.

Research Interests

My research seeks to understand the genetic factors and responses that control the growth and distribution of marine phytoplankton.  Understanding the regulation of phytoplankton growth in the oceans is of fundamental importance because of their role in primary production; global carbon fixation by marine phytoplankton equals or exceeds that of terrestrial ecosystems.  I have experience with both prokaryotic and eukaryotic phytoplankton, although the majority of my current projects focus on toxic dinoflagellates of the genus Alexandrium.  Many species of Alexandrium produce saxitoxins, potent neurotoxins that are the causative agent of paralytic shellfish poisoning.  Harmful algal blooms, commonly called “red tides”, caused by Alexandrium occur on every continent.  While most of my present work involves Alexandrium, the general questions, such as those regarding effects of macro- and micronutrient stress and the structure of local and global populations, are of interest in all groups of phytoplankton.

My experimental approach integrates molecular tools with traditional ecological techniques in order to understand the controls on phytoplankton growth and population structure.  In particular, the availability of large-scale gene sequence information (genomes, expressed sequence tags) provides a means to ask basic questions that have previously been impractical to address.  Tools such as microarrays allow researchers to have a much broader view of cellular conditions, to examine the response of a number of genes simultaneously.  With these kinds of tools, we can examine which of the genes are actually expressed under natural conditions and understand what cellular processes are being used to adapt to life in different oceanic regimes.

Current projects include: 1) identification of genes involved in saxitoxin biosynthesis in Alexandrium dinoflagellates; 2) identification of genes involved in nitrogen and phosphorus assimilation, and adaptation to nutrient stress in Alexandrium fundyense; 3) biogeography and population biology of Alexandrium dinoflagellates; 4) characterization of mating interactions in Alexandrium; 5) development and application of quantitative PCR-based methods for the identification and enumeration of Alexandrium fundyense/tamarense/catenella; 6) determination of the identity, abundance and distribution of Pseudo-nitzschia species in the Northeastern U.S.

Selected Publications

Dyhrman, S.T., D. Erdner, J. LaDu, M. Galac, and D.M. Anderson.  (in press).  Molecular quantification of toxic Alexandrium fundyense in the Gulf of Maine using a newly developed PCR-based assay.  Harmful Algae.

Hackett, J.D., D.M. Anderson, D.L. Erdner and D. Bhattacharya.  2004.  Dinoflagellates: A remarkable evolutionary experiment.  American Journal of Botany 91:1523-1534.

Lindell, D., D. Erdner, D. Marie, O. Prasil, M. Koblizek, F. Le Gall, R. Rippka, F. Partensky, D.J. Scanlan, and A.F. Post.  2002.  The nitrogen stress response of Prochlorococcus Strain PCC 9511 (Oxyphotobacteria) involves contrasting regulation of ntcA and amt1.  Journal of Phycology 38(6):1113-1124.

Beeson, K.E., D.L. Erdner, C.E. Bagwell, C.R. Lovell and P.A. Sobecky.  2002.  Differentiation of plasmids in marine diazotroph assemblages determined by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis.  Microbiology 148:179-189.

Erdner, D.L. and D.M. Anderson.  1999.  Ferredoxin and flavodoxin as biochemical indicators of iron limitation during open-ocean iron enrichment.  Limnology and Oceanography 44(7):1609-1615.

Erdner, D.L., N.M. Price, G.J. Doucette, M.L. Peleato and D.M. Anderson.  1999.  Characterization of ferredoxin and flavodoxin as markers of iron limitation in marine phytoplankton.  Marine Ecology Progress Series 184:43-53.

Contact: Deana L. Erdner
Modified: Wednesday, November 14, 2007