Helena Nitschky
Research Assistant
BS, Earth and Environmental Science & Environment, Oceanography Minor, University of Michigan, 2022
Research Interests
Key words: Microbial ecology, climate change/acidification, symbioses, carbon fixation
Overview: I am motivated by my adoration for aquatic ecosystems. Through fieldwork, I became mesmerized by microbial ecology and in particular, the photosynthetic power of algae. I have extensively studied the genetic community composition of the toxic cyanobacterium Microcystis. Specifically, with a focus on the effects of pH and the presence of certain carbon-concentrating mechanistic genes over temporal and spatial scales. My current Masters’s research focuses on acidification’s effect on harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. I believe the utilization of ‘omics techniques can uncover important discoveries that can protect, mitigate, and even reverse the negative effects of climate change.
Publications
Yancey, C. E., Kiledal, E. A., Chaganti, S. R., Denef, V. J., Errera, R. M., Evans, J. T., … & Dick, G. J. (2023). The Western Lake Erie Culture Collection: A promising resource for evaluating the physiological and genetic diversity of Microcystis and its associated microbiome. Harmful Algae, 102440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2023.102440