J. Jeffrey Morris

Our lab is funded to study the evolutionary response of phytoplankton to ocean acidification. For the past 5 years we have conducted a Long Term Phytoplankton Evolution (LTPE) experiment, where we have maintained replicate semi-continuous cultures of 5 phytoplankton types at either modern or year 2100 CO2 conditions. Each phytoplankton has been co-cultured with a single species of heterotrophic bacteria, and our current research focus is on the co-evolutionary processes between the phytoplankton and their heterotrophic partners, and how these changes influence the ecosystem response to future ocean conditions.