Adrian Marchetti

Research Scientist

Phone: 206-685-4196

e-mail: amarchetti-at-ocean.washington.edu

Education:

B.Sc. Biology, McGill Univeristy, Montreal PQ (1998)

Ph.D. Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC (2005)

Research Interests:

My primary research focus is biogeochemical evolution of phytoplankton in marine environments. Biogeochemical evolution is defined as the changes in the genomes of organisms and in the chemistry of their environment, as they influence each other over time. I combine laboratory-based and field-based studies to answer fundamental questions on factors influencing phytoplankton distributions and abundance, and to advance our understanding of how these organisms interact with their environment and influence ocean biogeochemistry. I am interested in studying trace metals, such as iron, that are essential for the nutrition of phytoplankton and how future climate changes will influence phytoplankton growth and ecology. For example, we have discovered that pennate diatoms such as Pseudo-nitzschia contain the gene to encode for ferritin, which is a highly specialized iron concentrating protein. The acquisition of ferritin by certain diatoms may contribute to their success in low-iron environments where new inputs of iron are primarily confined to pulse events through atmospheric dust deposition. More details about this study may be found here.  I also study how growing phytoplankton impact ocean nutrient inventories by measuring biological rate processes. Several approaches are taken to my investigations. First, I work with marine isolates of diatoms in the laboratory, which allows for refined studies to determine the molecular biology and physiology of a specific group of phytoplankton. Second, I participate on research cruises to investigate natural phytoplankton assemblages, as this provides for a more ecologically relevant context to assess how these organisms acclimate and adapt to different environments and how their nutrient requirements will influence marine biogeochemistry.

Publications: