Microbial Symbiosis and Pathogenesis in Marine Invertebrates: A Sequencing-Based Exploration

Catalog description

This two-week mini-course is for graduate students interested in biology, marine microbiology, and environmental health. It's designed to introduce students to the fascinating world of invertebrate microbiomes and the use of sequencing technologies to study them. We will explore the microbial communities (the microbiome) that live in and on marine invertebrates, such as tunicates, corals, mollusks, and sponges. Students will learn the full spectrum of host-microbe relationships, from beneficial mutualisms to pathogenesis. They'll also learn how DNA sequencing is used as a primary tool to identify and characterize these communities, covering everything from sample collection and DNA extraction to bioinformatics analysis and data interpretation.