UGA Foundation Distinguished Professor Web Pages: Moran Lab Website Education Ph.D. 1987, University of Georgia, Athens, GA M.S. 1982, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY B.S. 1977, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY Research Research Areas: Microbial Ecology Research Interests: Moran lab research focuses on how marine bacteria process and transform organic carbon and sulfur, and how interactions between bacteria and phytoplankton affect these transformations, including the formation of climate-relevant gases. Our research leverages tools from molecular microbial ecology and ecological genomics, in both laboratory model systems and natural marine environments. Selected Publications Schroer, W. F., H. E. Kepner, M. Uchimiya, C. Mejia, L. T. Rodriguez, C. R. Reisch, and M. A. Moran. 2023. Function and importance of marine bacterial transporters of plankton exometabolites. ISME Communications 3:37. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43705-023-00244-6 Schreier, J., C. B. Smith, T. R. Ioerger, and M. A. Moran. 2023. A mutant fitness assay identifies bacterial interactions in a model ocean hot-spot. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. 2023. 120 (12) e2217200120. https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2217200120 Nowinski, B., X. Feng, C. M. Preston, J. M. Birch, H. Luo, W. B. Whitman., and M. A. Moran. Ecological divergence of syntopic marine bacterial species is shaped by gene content and expression. 2023. The ISME Journal https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-023-01390-4 Ferrer-González, F. X., M. Hamilton, C. B. Smith, J. E. Schreier, M. Olofsson, and M. A. Moran. 2023. Bacterial transcriptional response to labile exometabolites from photosynthetic picoeukaryote Micromonas commoda. ISME Communications 3: 5. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43705-023-00212-0. Moran, M. A., E. B. Kujawinski, W. F. Schroer, S. A. Amin, N. R. Bates, E. M. Bertrand, R. Braakman, C. T. Brown, M. W. Covert, S. C. Doney, S. T. Dyhrman, A. S. Edison, A. M. Eren, N. M. Levine, L. Li, A. C. Ross, M. A. Saito, A. E. Santoro, D. Segré, A. Shade, M. B. Sullivan, and A. Vardi. 2022. Microbial metabolites in the marine carbon cycle. Nature Microbiology 7:508-523. https://rdcu.be/cKnTP Moran, M. A., F. X. Ferrer-González, H. Fu, B. Nowinski, M. Olofsson, M. A. Powers, J. E. Schreier, W. F. Schroer, C. B. Smith, and M. Uchimiya. 2022. The ocean’s labile DOC supply chain. Limnology and Oceanography 67:1007-1021. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12053 Olofsson, M., F. X. Ferrer-González, M. Uchimiya, J. E. Schreier, N. R. Holderman, C. B. Smith, A. S. Edison, and M. A. Moran. 2022. Growth-stage related shifts in diatom endometabolome composition set the stage for bacterial heterotrophy. ISME Communications 2:28. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43705-022-00116-5 Uchimiya, M., W. Schroer, M. Olofsson, A. S. Edison, and M. A. Moran. 2022. Diel investments in metabolite production and consumption in a model microbial system. The ISME Journal 16z;1306-1317. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-021-01172-w Nowinski, B. and M. A. Moran. 2021. Niche dimensions of a marine bacterium are identified using invasion studies in coastal seawater. Nature Microbiology 6: 524–532. DOI Ferrer-González, F. X., B. Widner, N. R. Holderman, J. Glushka, A. S. Edison, E. B. Kujawinski, and M. A. Moran. 2020. Resource partitioning of phytoplankton metabolites that support bacterial heterotrophy. ISME Journal 15:762-773. DOI Fu, H., M. Uchimiya, J. Gore, and M. A. Moran. 2020. Ecological drivers of bacterial community assembly in synthetic phycospheres. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 117:3656-3662. DOI Moran, M. A. and B. P. Durham. 2019. Sulfur metabolites in the pelagic ocean. Nature Reviews Microbiology 17: 665-678. DOI Moran M.A, Kujawinski EB, Stubbins A, Fatland R, Aluwihare LI, Buchan A, Crump BC, Dorrestein PC, Dyhrman ST, Hess NJ et al.. 2016. Deciphering ocean carbon in a changing world. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 113(12):3143-3151. DOI Moran M.A. 2015. The Global Ocean Microbiome. Science. 350 DOI Courses Regularly Taught MARS 3450