Tatiana Rynearson
Tatiana Rynearson, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island
Phone Number: 401-874-6022
Email Address: rynearson@gso.uri.edu
My research goals are to understand the ecological and evolutionary processes shaping genetic diversity in the plankton and to examine how those processes affect plankton community structure, function and productivity. My lab uses a population genetics approach to quantify genetic diversity within and between populations of phytoplankton and examine how that diversity changes under favorable environments (e.g. blooms). We examine connectivity in the plankton using techniques from the field of physical oceanography to determine the relative importance of circulation vs. selection in generating spatial and temporal patterns of population structure in the phytoplankton. We also use genomic and transcriptomic approaches to identify and understand physiological variation among individuals and species (e.g. varying responses to nutrient limitation).
