Microbial Community Ecology

Angela Kent

General Research Interests

Microbial populations are a key component of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and are responsible for mediating a number of important functions, including nutrient cycling and biogeochemical transformations.  Molecular biology tools now allow us to describe the diversity and structure of microbial communities in natural systems, and relate these to environmental drivers and ecosystem function.  We are interested in studying the ecology of the microbial communities involved in important ecosystem processes so that we may improve our capacity to predict the impact of anthropogenic influences on ecosystem functions mediated by microbial communities and to harness microbial processes to enhance environmental quality.

Current Projects

Illinois Wetland Restoration
Biofuels and Sustainability
Organic Agriculture
Aquatic Food Web Interactions
Microbial Aspects of a "Healthy Environment"
Microbial Ecology of the Chattooga River