Event Details

Despite their small size, bacteria comprise ~15% of the total biomass on this planet. These single cell organisms are central to all the nutrient cycles and affect the growth and health of other organisms. However, despite their importance, it is hard to predict how microbial communities will respond to a rapidly changing planet. Our ability to predict ecological and evolutionary dynamics is affected by stochastic processes, dependence on previous changes (historical contingency), and feedback between ecology and evolution. In this talk I will explore some of the main processes affecting microbial community assembly and explain how system thinking and a better understanding of physical and physiological constraints can help us understand and predict changes in microbial communities.

María Rebolleda-Gómez 
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Donelly Environmental Postdoctoral Fellow
Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

When and where:  Thursday, Dec. 3, noon - 1 pm, via Zoom