There are many ongoing research projects at the University of Michigan that integrate population, modeling and laboratory approaches. Below are a few from the ITiMS community.
Integrative Research
Featured Student Projects
Freida Blostein was awarded $10,000 by ITiMS to conduct this project.
Co-mentors: Betsy Foxman and Kelly Bakulski
Testing the role of metabolic interactions and processes in the formation of cariogenic oral microbiomesEarly childhood caries (ECC), or dental decay in the primary teeth of children under 6 years of age, is a painful condition which negatively impacts self-esteem and predicts poor oral health throughout the life course (1–3). ECC affects 20% of children...
Morgan Lindback received $10,000 from ITiMS to conduct this project.
Co-mentors: Melissa Duhaime and Luis Zaman
Graphical abstract content Empirical Approach...
Jinny Yang received a $5,000 award from ITiMS to conduct this project.
How do host-microbiome interactions shape the phytoplankton microbiome? Introduction...
James Tan received a $5,000 mini-grant from ITiMS for this project.
Elucidation of metabolic interactions in a naturally-derived Microcystis consortiumCo-researchers: Dr. Derek Smith, Dr. Sara Rivera Advisors: Xiaoxia “Nina” Lin, Evan Snitkin, Gregory Dick
Generating toxic blooms, Microcystis aeruginosa, an aquatic cyanobacterium, affects freshwater systems globally (1), including Lake Erie. In aquatic systems, the metabolic interactions between photosynthetic cyanobacteria and their...
Kathryn Langenfeld received a $10,000 mini-grant from ITiMS for this projct.
The Impacts of Phages on Antibiotic Resistance Through Transduction and CoevolutionMentors: Melissa Duhaime, Krista Wigginton
Phages (i.e., viruses that infect bacteria) may significantly contribute to the dissemination and evolution of antibiotic resistance. Phages impact the structure and function of microbial communities through host infection and exert evolutionary pressure via host...
ITiMS provided funds and support to achieve this successful manuscript! Pellitier, P.T., Zak, D.R. and Salley, S.O., 2019. Environmental filtering structures fungal endophyte communities in tree bark. Molecular ecology.
Environmental filtering structures fungal endophyte communities in tree barkby Peter Pllitier
Introduction...
Emily Crossette received a $10,000 mini-grant for her project:
Probing microbial diversity and dynamics of land applied manureCo-advisors: Melissa Duhaime, Lut Raskin, Indika Rajapakse, Krista Wigginton
IntroductionManure application is an important resource recovery pathways that returns nutrients and organic carbon to soil to improve crop yields and limit the need for carbon-intensive synthesized nutrients. However, biosolids and...
Adam Krieger, ITiMS Co-Mentors: Nina Lin, PhD and Bradley Cardinale, PhD
I am interested in the diverse ways that residents of microbial communities communicate and coordinate with each other to produce interesting population level behavior. One way to approach this question is through exploring the mechanisms of maintenance of species diversity from an ecological perspective. The question of exactly what mechanisms enable coexistence of species in a community has been a central...
Paper resulting from this project: https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.15352...
Emily Crossette
Solids recovered from human and veterinary waste-streams are high in carbon and nutrients and therefore a valuable...