Maddy presents in the Phycological Society of America's Bold Session in Juneau!

I am excited to share my research at this year’s conference, as this presentation will effectively serve as a shortened dissertation defense. My talk, titled “Matters of the Mat: Insights on the Community Ecology of Mid-Atlantic Microbial Mats” will synthesize my first 2 dissertation chapters and touch on my 3rd one.

First, I examine disturbance through both laboratory and in-situ experiments, including the effects of temperature on microbial mat communities. Next, I explore nutrient and microbial handoffs between mats and adjacent live marsh grass (Spartina). Finally, I touch on current research that is exploring mat ecology through the lens of additional temporal scales, including seasonal and diel dynamics.

These findings represent some of the first metabarcoding-based insights on microbial mats in this system, advancing our understanding of temperate, intertidal benthic cyanobacterial mats, the mechanisms driving their communities, their functional and ecological roles - and how these may shift under future warming and global change.