Vilhelmiina Haavisto

Marine microbial communities are responsible for a large part of the carbon cycling that occurs in our oceans. In these communities, specialized bacteria degrade complex polysaccharides, providing a source of carbon and other nutrients to themselves and others. However, these communities are complex and difficult to study in their natural environment, meaning that to understand how they function we must develop lab-based analogs. In my PhD project, I aim to develop model chitin-degrading communities to investigate the roles of different bacteria in the breakdown of this complex polysaccharide, and how nutrients flow through the community. My project is grounded in microbial ecology, with a focus on understanding the molecular mechanisms that underpin interactions between members of these chitin-degrading communities.