Molecular Biology Commons^™

Microbial Ecology And Functional Genomics Of Deep-Water Coral-Associated Microbes, Julia Parker Galkiewicz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lophelia pertusa is a cosmopolitan cold-water coral, often found in aphotic waters (>200m). Aggregations of L. pertusa (reefs) provide important habitat to many invertebrate and fish species and act as biodiversity hotspots in the deep sea. The health and diversity of these reefs is of vital importance to deep-sea ecosystems, and the microbial consortia associated with L. pertusa form the most basic ecological level. Deciphering the diversity and function of these microbes provides insight into the roles they play in maintaining reef health. This dissertation takes microbiological techniques that are used in shallow-water coral microbial research and applies them …