Prokaryotic behaviour and population dynamics

Project description

Bacteria are essential to all ecosystems. Determining how they function in aquatic ecosystems is one of the main activities of my laboratory. There are numerous possible thesis projects.

• My laboratory has recently observed that some bacteria chase and orbit swimming microalgae in a manner similar to a fly moving around a person. This observation needs to be built on to gain a better understanding of how microbes sense each other and exchange nutrients.
• The sensitivity and speed with which the bacteria react when they chase and orbit may have importance beyond microbial ecology. This speed and sensitivity makes them an excellent model for biosensors.
• Scientists recently put a population of E. coli in a microscopic obstacle course. To everyone’s surprise they began signalling each other and then collapsed into tight clumps in corners and dead ends. It is unknown how common this response is in other bacteria, the extent to which it is important in bacterial migration through sediments and soils, or what its purpose is, even in E. coli. This is a developing research field with possibilities for ecological, microbiological, nanotechnological and molecular thesis projects.

Co-supervisors

Rob Edwards, Peter Speck

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You must also contact each supervisor directly to discuss both the project details and your suitability to undertake the project.