Microbial Diversity

Uncovering the diversity, evolution, and functional roles of the microbial eukaryotes — corallicolids, algae, ciliates, and more — that live within corals and shape holobiont health.

Studying the coral holobiont as an integrated system — pairing microbiome metabarcoding with host transcriptomics to read how host and microbes vary across space within a colony, across the diel cycle, and across the shift from health to disease.

Characterising the microbial eukaryotes — protists — that live in and on marine animals across the full symbiotic spectrum, from mutualists to parasites, and building the tools to detect them.

Exploring the prokaryotic and microeukaryotic communities associated with marine animals — the Gulf Toadfish, the California Sea Hare, and Mediterranean bryozoans.

Identifying and isolating probiotic bacteria to protect the critically endangered Montseny Brook Newt against chytridiomycosis.

Building and curating the reference databases — PR2, EukRef, eKOI and more — that turn microeukaryote metabarcoding reads into named, placed, and ecologically meaningful taxa.