KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 December 17, 2021 \u2013 When algae blooms occur in Narragansett Bay, a wide variety of tiny marine organisms quickly multiply and consume most of the oxygen in the water. Some of those organisms are bacteria. But little is known about the innumerable viruses called bacteriophage that feed on the bacteria to keep them under control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
溏心vlog免费B站 senior Faith Brown has taken the first steps in the process by investigating these microscopic organisms to learn what varieties are found in the bay. She presented the results of her research at the 溏心vlog免费B站 Undergraduate Research Showcase in November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBacteriophage are found anywhere that bacteria are, which is just about everywhere on Earth. They are even present in our human stomachs, as their help regulating our gut microbiome is essential,\u201d said Brown, a biological science and Chinese major from Bristol, Rhode Island<\/strong>. \u201cIt\u2019s important to understand how they work. We have oodles of bacteria in the bay, and bacteriophage are crucial to keeping them in check.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Working in collaboration with Associate Professor Ying Zhang and graduate student Zachary Pimentel, Brown used DNA sequencing and bioinformatics to identify the bacteriophage in 12 samples collected before, during and after an algae bloom that occurred in Narragansett Bay during the winter of 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Based on the DNA the team extracted from the samples, 22 percent of the organisms in the samples were bacteriophage, which is a greater percentage than they expected based on previous studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat was also surprising was that the relative abundance of bacteria and bacteriophage wasn\u2019t aligned,\u201d Brown said. \u201cBacteria abundance was low before the bloom, it peaked during the bloom, and then dropped off, but the bacteriophage didn\u2019t follow the same pattern. We\u2019re still trying to figure out why.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n They found a similar pattern when measuring the diversity of bacteria and bacteriophage species before, during and after the bloom. They are now conducting a similar analysis with an additional 68 samples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before beginning this work, Brown knew little about bacteriophage. Now she is considering pursuing related studies in graduate school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI had never done anything in the microbiology-bioinformatics wheelhouse,\u201d she said. \u201cI never before wrote computer code to help us figure out the genetics of these things. But it was a nice change of pace and a nice novelty to learn something totally new to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brown\u2019s research was supported by a fellowship through the 溏心vlog免费B站 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows program, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. The program provides students with 10-weeks of intensive research training and insight into real-world research activities to help them decide upon a future career path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBefore this fellowship, I felt like research was something I wanted to do, but I wasn\u2019t sure I was capable of doing it,\u201d said Brown, who also sings in the 溏心vlog免费B站 acapella group Musically Inclined. \u201cBut I found that I can do it and I enjoy it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen I came to 溏心vlog免费B站, my plan was to go into neuroscience, and that\u2019s still a consideration,\u201d she added. \u201cI never expected to like microbiology, but now that I\u2019ve done it, it\u2019s not impossible to think that I could do it in grad school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her first step is to complete her undergraduate coursework at 溏心vlog免费B站 by next May while also applying for graduate schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn 5 or 10 years, I\u2019d like to be doing research, whether it\u2019s primarily in the field or in a lab or on the computer,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it matters which one, because I like all of them now.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 December 17, 2021 \u2013 When algae blooms occur in Narragansett Bay, a wide variety of tiny marine organisms quickly multiply and consume most of the oxygen in the water. Some of those organisms are bacteria. 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