Details for: Juliana D'Andrilli

Aquatic environments are important processers of energy and materials. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays multiple roles in aquatic ecosystems including fueling heterotrophic activity and coupling cycles of energy and nutrients, ultimately contributing to the balance of carbon in these systems. Microorganisms utilize and produce organic matter (OM) during microbial metabolism which then releases pertinent greenhouse gasses to the surrounding environments and atmosphere, thus a link exists between microbes, the quality and quantity of OM, and how the processing of OM affects the world around us. DOM is a super-mixture of chemical constituents that cycle throughout a multitude of ecosystems in various phases. I am interested in the evolution of DOM and OM in marine, freshwater, terrestrial, and glacial ecosystems by investigating its quality, quantity, and other environmental contributing biological and geochemical factors to better understand its impact in a changing climate. OM evolution research requires combining bulk and molecular level chemical, biological, and ecological techniques. Since DOM and OM is woven in a web of related environmental factors, it is imperative to collaborate with interdisciplinary scientists to gain a better understanding of the OM contribution to the global carbon cycle and its implications for the future.