Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences
University of New Hampshire
Kathleen M. Morrow
ABOUT ME
I grew up in upstate New York exploring the ancient glacial valleys of the Finger Lakes Region. I have always been captivated by aquatic ecosystems and specifically sought out a bachelors degree in marine science. After high school I moved to the sandy coasts and long-leaf pine forests of southern North Carolina, where I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in Marine Biology and Chemistry. During this time I had the opportunity to train as an AAUS scientific research diver and conduct research as part of my honors thesis in the Florida Keys and Mexico. After which, I headed to Los Angeles and completed a Master’s degree in Biology from California State University Northridge that primarily focused on the study of kelp forest community ecology and biomechanics off the coast of Santa Catalina Island.
I returned to my interests in coral reef ecology in 2006 when I began a PhD program at Auburn University in Auburn, AL. Here I studied the physical and chemical effects of macroalgae on coral-associated microbial communities in the Caribbean. Through this work I collaborated with researchers at NOAA in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuaries, the Smithsonian Marine Station, and MOTE Marine Laboratory to conduct field experiments in the Florida Keys, Belize, and U.S. Virgin Islands.
Following the completion of my PhD I moved to Townsville, Australia to begin a postdoctoral fellowship within the Healthy and Resilient GBR program at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). My current research takes a highly interdisciplinary approach to marine ecology, combining a traditional background in marine ecosystem function with microbiological methods, modern molecular techniques, and natural products chemistry - one might call me a microbial systems ecologist. I utilize modern genomic techniques to examine host-associated microbial community stability and the environmental drivers that may cause a shift in symbiosis from a healthy mutualistic relationship to one that is more parasitic or pathogenic to the host. Presently, I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of New Hampshire where I continue my studies of the coral microbiome with a focus on the global diversity of nitrogen cycling diazotrophs within the holobiont.
My research interests fall under three main themes:
1) Environmental drivers, how and why shifts occur in microbial symbioses from healthy mutualistic relationships to a more detrimental or pathogenic state;
2) Microbial community stability, and why some host-microbial relationships may be inherently more stable than others;
3) Microbial community assembly, and how microbial relationship during early life stages may impact the long-term stability and health of the host organism.
EDUCATION
Ph.D.
Auburn University, Auburn, AL
Department of Biological Sciences, 2011
Advisor: Dr. Nanette Chadwick
M.S.
California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA
Department of Biological Sciences, 2006
Advisor: Dr. Robert Carpenter
B.S.
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Major Marine Biology, Minor Chemistry, 2003
Honors Advisor: Dr. Alina Szmant
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Coral Reefs in an Acidified Ocean
Coral reefs found in the Milne Bay Province of southern Papua New Guinea (PNG) are exposed to bubbling seeps of volcanically produced CO2 (~99% pure) that are causing a decline in pH similar to “business as usual” predictions for the next century (~pH 7.8). Seep sites provide a unique natural experiment to study holobionts that have had the opportunity to adapt over long time scales (e.g. life of the organism) to high pCO2/ low pH conditions. Research conducted at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has shown that seep sites, in comparison to nearby ambient controls, experience reductions in the diversity of corals and other macroinvertebrates, as well as reduced recruitment and structural complexity. My research examines the microbial communities associated with corals and sponges that appeared to be CO2 “sensitive” or CO2 “tolerant” to determine whether unique microbial communities are associated with a species-specific adaptive advantage or disadvantage to their host under stressful conditions.
Characterizing the Coral Holobiont
Ongoing collaborations exist in Australia with the Sea-Quence project as part of the Reef Future Genomics 2020 (ReFuGe 2020) consortium to characterize up to 10 coral holobionts and provide the genetic data required to support research into the capacity for corals to cope with stress and adapt to a changing climate
Newsletter from May 2014
Global Coral Diazotroph Diversity
Current research at the University of New Hampshire with Dr. Michael Lesser will assess the global presence of diazotrophs (i.e. bacteria and archaea that fix nitrogen) in coral-associated microbial communities. Gene expression profiles gathered from these communities using metatranscriptomics coupled with rates of 15N2 uptake and translocation within the holobiont will provide us with insight into the extent of ongoing nitrogen fixation within a set of globally important coral species.
Chemical Interactions with Macroalgae
Environmental and anthropogenic stressors have been attributed to a global decline in coral cover and an increase in alternative dominants such as macroalgae, sponges, and soft corals. Macroalgae produce potent secondary metabolites that often have strong antibacterial activity, acting as anti-fouling and anti-herbivory agents. Research is ongoing to examine the particularly potent aqueous compounds produced by the brown alga, Lobophora variegata, which can be found in association with corals throughout the Caribbean and Pacific. Extracts from this alga were tested against coral bacterial isolates, coral larvae, and applied directly to coral colonies. Results from these and previous studies suggest that macroalgae have the potential to cause detrimental shifts in microbial community structure and larval settlement. Ongoing environmental stressors such as increasing temperatures, lower pH, bleaching, and disease are known to cause shifts in coral microbiomes. Thus, an additional competitive stressor that causes shifts in community structure may further aggravate the delicate balance between healthy and pathogenic bacteria within the coral microbiome.
Katrina Bromhall, an honors student from the University of Plymouth works to study the impact of macroalgal compounds on coral larvae at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, QLD Australia
Coral incubations with labeled 15N2
Me, Liz Kintzing, and Michael Lesser at HIRS
Chemical Interactions with Macroalgae
Environmental and anthropogenic stressors have been attributed to a global decline in coral cover and an increase in alternative dominants such as macroalgae, sponges, and soft corals. Macroalgae produce potent secondary metabolites that often have strong antibacterial activity, acting as anti-fouling and anti-herbivory agents. Research is ongoing to examine the particularly potent aqueous compounds produced by the brown alga, Lobophora variegata, which can be found in association with corals throughout the Caribbean and Pacific. Extracts from this alga were tested against coral bacterial isolates, coral larvae, and applied directly to coral colonies. Results from these and previous studies suggest that macroalgae have the potential to cause detrimental shifts in microbial community structure and larval settlement. Ongoing environmental stressors such as increasing temperatures, lower pH, bleaching, and disease are known to cause shifts in coral microbiomes. Thus, an additional competitive stressor that causes shifts in community structure may further aggravate the delicate balance between healthy and pathogenic bacteria within the coral microbiome.
Evolutionary Ecology of Sponges and their Microbiomes
New research with colleagues M. Lesser, M. MacManes, and D. Plachetzki at the University of New Hampshire and M. Slattery and D. Gochfeld at the Univ. of Mississippi was awarded NSF-DOB funding to examine the co-evolution of sponges with their microbiomes in the Caribbean basin. Sponges have emerged as dominant and ecologically relevant taxon on many coral reefs. They also host diverse assemblages of symbiotic microorganisms that play critical functional roles. We predict that the co-evolution of the sponge host and microbiome has lead to emergent functional properties resulting in niche diversification and speciation of sponges. We plan to quantify the trophic modes of sponges in the Caribbean (Belize, Curacao, and Florida), as well as their production of chemical defenses. These character states will be analyzed in the context of the phylogenetic composition of the sponge hosts and their microbiomes, as well as the functional activities of the host and symbionts at the genetic level.
