Drivers of biodiversity and experimental evolution
Work in the Bernhardt lab aims to advance fundamental understanding of the drivers of biodiversity change and the consequences of these changes for human well-being. This research advances a solution to this research challenge by studying the processes that unite all of life on Earth – the metabolic processes by which living systems uptake, store and convert energy, matter and information from their environments to grow and persist. We use algal systems to test hypotheses about causes and consequences of global change using a range of experimental methods, including experimental evolution.
Algal physiology and biodiversity in biotechnology
The Heylandlab conducts algal research to explore the use of algae in a range of applications such as water treatment and remediation, aquaculture, hydroponics and aquaponics. We also employ biodiversity assessments for the discovery and development of novel compounds from algae. We use physiological, genomics and metabolomics approaches in our research and use a range of high-throughput screening tools we developed. This work is primarily supported through industry partnerships.
Physical Ecology
The ecological and evolutionary questions that underlie research in the Ackerman lab include the manner by which organisms have adapted to their physical environment, physical aspects of energy transfer through ecosystems, physical-biological linkages in aquatic ecosystems, and the convergent evolution of morphology. We have been fortunate to ask many of these questions within an applied context related to Species at Risk/conservation, industrial ecology, fisheries, and forestry, management.