Charles R. Lovell
Charles R. Lovell, Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina- Columbia
Ph.D., 1984, Purdue University
Phone Number: 803-777-7036
Email Address: lovell@biol.sc.edu
Website: http://www.biol.sc.edu/~lovell/
Molecular Microbial Ecology; Population and Community Dynamics of Microorganisms; Interactions Between Bacteria and Higher Organisms; Physiology and Ecology of Anaerobic Bacteria
I am a microbial ecologist. My main research interests are in the responses of natural bacterial communities to physical, chemical, and biological environmental variables. My research addresses the relationship between microbial diversity and ecological function, and examines a number of specific questions at the level of ecophysiology, population dynamics and community ecology. To facilitate this work my group focuses on specific groups of bacteria that directly contribute to a particular function, such as the diazotrophic bacteria, the sulfate reducing bacteria, and the acetogenic bacteria. We examine these functional groups through a variety of methods and typically use experimental systems that are either estuarine or laboratory simulations of estuarine environments.
Questions addressed in my research:
What is (are) the relationship(s) between microbial diversity and ecological function?
When environmental conditions change do the rules governing this relationship or the players involved change in response?
Are species richness and evenness of microbial communities in structured environments governed more by negative interactions of organisms or positive interactions?
What is the role of refugia in development of large populations of bacterial species?
