My research integrates microbiology and ecosystem ecology in an effort to gain a holistic understanding of aquatic ecosystems. We conduct both basic and applied research on a wide range of environmental issues involving streams, lakes and wetlands. Current research in my lab explores interactions between primary producers (algae, including cyanobacteria) and decomposers (bacteria and fungi) that have consequences for ecosystem processes such as energy flow and carbon emissions from aquatic environments. Our work has identified complex interactions between autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms that range from mutualistic to antagonistic within biofilm communities – these interactions, in turn, fuel the aquatic microbial loop and determine many aspects of biogeochemical cycling and food-web dynamics. Our research contributes to a growing awareness that environmental perturbations, such as those associated with ongoing climate change, can govern ecosystem processes by regulating the composition of microbial communities in aquatic environments.