Holben Lab Overview

The research interests of the Holben Microbial Ecology Laboratory are molecular microbial ecology, molecular genetics, and environmental microbiology. Ongoing research projects include community-level analyses linking bacterial community structure, function, activity and diversity in metal-contaminated and pristine river sediment systems; exploring the role of the microbial community in the success of invasive weeds; examining the role of charcoal from forest fires in controlling the distribution and activity of nitrifying bacteria in forest soils; fate and transport of microbes in the environment; microbial ecology of the gastrointestinal tract, microbial biomarkers for plant and animal studies.