 |
Michael P. LesserResearch ProfessorPh.D., 1989, University of Maine Phone: 603-862-3442 |
My principal research interests involve understanding how taxonomically diverse marine organisms respond physiologically to changes in their environment. In particular I'm interested in how organismal physiology can influence the distribution and abundance of marine organisms. As a physiological ecologist my students and I answer these types of questions by utilizing field and laboratory experiments, as well as a wide range of techniques from molecular biology to in situ measurements. My research interests include the effects of ultraviolet radiation and photooxidative stress in bacteria and phytoplankton as well as studies on symbiotic associations between eukaryotic and prokaryotic microbes with their invertebrate hosts. Currently my primary research focus is on microbial consortia associated with reef-forming corals that includes both symbiotic dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae) and nitrogen fixing bacteria.
Selected Publications
Lesser, M. P., Stochiaj, W. R., Tapley, D. W., and J. M. Shick. Physiological Mechanisms of Bleaching in Symbiotic Anthozoans: Effects of Irradiance, Ultraviolet Radiation, and Temperature and the Possible Involvement of Active Oxygen. Coral Reefs, 8: 225-232, 1990
Lesser, M. P. and W. R. Stochaj. Photoadaptation and Protection Against Active Forms of Oxygen In Prochloron sp. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 56: 1530-1535, 1990
Lesser, M. P. and R. P. Blakemore. Description of a Novel Symbiotic Bacterium from the Brittlestar, Amphipholis squamata. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 56: 2436-2440, 1990
Lesser, M. P. and C. W. Walker. Comparative Study of the Uptake of Dissolved Amino Acids In Sympatric Brittle Stars With and Without Endosymbiotic Bacteria. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, 101B, 1/2: 217-223, 1992
Cullen, J. J, P. J. Neale, and M. P. Lesser. Biological Weighting Function for the Inhibition of Phytoplankton Photosynthesis by Ultraviolet Radiation. Science, 258: 646-650, 1992
Lesser, M. P. Exposure of Symbiotic Dinoflagellates To Elevated Temperatures and Ultraviolet Radiation Causes Oxidative Stress and Inhibits Photosynthesis. Limnology and Oceanography, 41: 271-283, 1996
Lesser, M. P., P. J. Neale, and J. J. Cullen. Acclimation of Antarctic Phytoplankton to Ultraviolet Radiation: UV Absorbing Compounds and Carbon Fixation. Molecular Marine Biology and Biotechnology, 5: 314-325, 1996
Lesser, M. P. Oxidative Stress Causes Coral Bleaching During Exposure to Elevated Temperatures. Coral Reefs, 16:187-192, 1997
Lesser, M. P. Depth-dependent Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Photosynthesis in the Caribbean Coral, Montastraea faveolata. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 192: 137-151, 2000
Lesser, M. P., Barry, T. M., and A. T. Banaszak. Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on a Chlorophyte Alga (Scenedesmus sp.) Isolated From the Fumarole Fields of Mt. Erebus, Antarctica. Journal of Phycology, 38: 473-481, 2002
Lesser, M. P. Experimental Coral Reef Biology. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 300: 217-252, 2004
Lesser, M. P., Mazel, C. M., Gorbunov, M. Y., and P. G. Falkowski. Discovery of Symbiotic Nitrogen-Fixing Cyanobacteria in Corals. Science, 305: 997-1000, 2004
Lesser, M. P. Oxidative Stress in Marine Environments: Biochemistry and Physiological Ecology. Annual Reviews of Physiology, 68: 253-278, 2006
Bou-Abdallah, F., Chasteen, N. D., and M. P. Lesser. Quenching of Superoxide Radicals by Green Fluorescent Protein. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (General Subjects) 1760: 1690-1695, 2006
Lesser, M. P. Coral Reefs Bleaching and Global Climate Change: Can Corals Survive the Next Century? Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104: 5259-5260, 2007
Lesser, M. P., Falcón, L. I. Rodríguez-Román, A., Enríquez, S., Hoegh-Guldberg, O., and R. Iglesias-Prieto. Nitrogen Fixation by Symbiotic Cyanobacteria Provides a Source of Nitrogen for the Scleractinian Coral, Montastraea cavernosa. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 346:143-152, 2007.
Lesser, M. P. Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Productivity and Nitrogen Fixation in the Cyanobacterium Anabaena (Newton's Strain). Hydrobiologia, 598:1-9, 2008.
Comments and questions should be directed to Dr. Michael Lesser
Last updated: 02 November 2007
