The Duhamel Lab for marine microbiology and biogeochemistry, specializes in the abundance, diversity and activity of aquatic microbes in the ocean, as well as in lakes, rivers, and wetland ecosystems. Specifically, we study the role of microorganisms as agents of biogeochemical transformations, and how microbes adapt to different environments. In particular, we are interested in the effects of climate and nutrient availability on the distribution, growth and productivity of microplankton but also in the potential of life to adapt to extreme environments and the implications for life elsewhere

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Main tools:

• Flow cytometry (e.g. cell counts and cell sorting). We house a BD Influx flow cytometer

• Epifluorescence microscopy (e.g. cell counts and identification)

• NanoSIMS, X-ray and Raman microscopy (e.g. cell elemental composition) 

• Fluorometry (e.g. enzymatic activities, polyphosphate and chlorophyll concentrations) 

• Bioluminescence assay (e.g. ATP concentrations)

• Radioisotope lab (3H, 14C, 35S, 32P and 33P) equipped with an ultra low level liquid scintillation counter

• High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) (e.g. phospholipids)

• Gas Chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (e.g. organophosphoesters)

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