I am an aquatic microbial ecologist and my research spans genes to ecosystems. In my lab, we examine how environmental conditions in freshwater ecosystems regulate microbial community structure and function, with a particular emphasis on algal communities. Algae are among the organisms most sensitive to environmental degradation in aquatic ecosystems. Many of the services provided by algae are related to taxonomic composition. Therefore, changes in algal community composition related to environmental perturbations can have significant consequences for water quality and ecosystem function. Most of my research is conducted in wetlands and has contributed to an understanding of how processes related to climate change influence the structure and function of aquatic microbial communities. My lab also examines associations between environmental conditions and the occurrence of toxin-producing cyanobacteria within agriculturally dominated watersheds.