EEB Student Dissertation Defense - Jinny Yang, EEB PhD Student

Jinny Yang, EEB PhD Student, presents their Dissertation Defense.

Preview: Most eukaryotic organisms harbor a distinct collection of microbes that differ from those in their surrounding environment, known as the microbiome. This microbiome interacts with the host and plays a critical role in the host’s health and survival. My study aims to advance our understanding of how host-microbiome interactions shape microbiome assembly, using ecologically and economically important phytoplankton as a study system. Specifically, I aim to investigate the dissecting impact of innate host selection and host-microbiome feedback on phytoplankton microbiome assembly. In this presentation, I will illustrate how these effects influence the taxonomic composition and diversity of the microbiome, the selection of different functional traits of microbes, and the consideration of how nutrient supply shifts host-microbe interactions and its subsequent effect on microbiome composition.