Speaker – Josh Stone, Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina. Hosted by Kate Davis.

Seminar Title  – Giants of the Bermuda Triangle: Rhizaria Ecology of the Sargasso Sea

Abstract – Planktonic Rhizaria are a group of large single-celled organisms that grow mineralized skeletons and can be abundant in open ocean ecosystems. However, little is known about their abundance, seasonality, and ecology. Because they form mineralized skeletons, they potentially play significant roles in global cycling of certain elements. My lab is currently studying the ecology of Rhizaria in the Sargasso Sea, an oligotrophic environment, and quantifying the temporal and spatial variability of Rhizaria biomass. Our goals are to determine the environmental drivers of Rhizaria populations, and quantify their biomass to inform models of their contributions to vertical flux and cycling of carbon, nitrogen, silica, strontium, and calcium.