Current Research

Research in the Bowen Lab tackes many forms. Much of our current work is focused on how salt marsh microbial communities, and in particular those microbes that are important in the nitrogen cycle, respond to global change drivers such as increased nutrient supply and changes in salinity regimes. Related to that we, are also exploring how changing environmental conditions in marshes also alter important geochemical processes, including carbon remineralization and nitrous oxide fluxes. A key focal point is on microbial processes that remove fixed nitrogen from the environment and how those processes can be enahnced to promote coastal sustainability. That is not all we do though! We also have people in our lab working on host associated microbial communities and the role that bacteria play in the health of marine organisms including the Eastern Oyster and the American Lobster (and some awesome frog skin microbiology!). Click on the links below if you want to learn more about the research going on in the Bowen Lab!

Past Research

FunFrame: A functional gene ecological analysis pipeline

Urbanization of coastal watersheds, case study of Waquoit Bay