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Elanor M. Bell
Lecturer, Microbial and Molecular Biology Department
Elanor M. Bell
Telephone: +44 (0)1631 559424
E-mail: elanor.bell@sams.ac.uk
Specific Areas of Interest: Marine Microbial Ecology & Marine Conservation
Scientific interests
I am interested in all things microbial, especially if they live in 'extreme' aquatic environments. My research interests span polar to tropical aquatic environments, including lakes, sea ice, coastal marine and deep sea systems. I am particularly interested in the strategies marine organisms use to survive extreme conditions, for example, green algae using mixotrophy to maintain active populations during the Antarctic winter. I also investigate the role of viruses, bacteria and resting stages in the structure and function of benthic ecosystems and benthic-pelagic coupling.
Current projects
The SAMS 2008 Arctic Research Cruise
As part of Oceans2025, I am involved in the SAMS 2008 Arctic research cruise. The overall aim is to significantly improve our current predictions of how the Arctic marine ecosystem and carbon cycle will respond to future rapid climate change. To achieve this we will investigate how the marine food web and carbon cycle functions today in ice-covered and ice-free oceanic and coastal waters near Svalbard. I will be investigating viral-bacterial dynamics via a series of observations and experiments to measure viral and bacterial abundance, diversity and productivity at a number of pelagic and benthic stations. The results of these observations and experiments will be used by modellers at SAMS to develop and refine a mathematical ecosystem model which will predict how the Arctic marine ecosystem and carbon cycle will respond to a warmer Arctic Ocean. They will also be used to develop new, and refine our understanding of existing, proxy indicators of past changes in the Arctic marine ecosystem and carbon cycle.
Viruses and bacteria stained with SYBR Gold nucleic acid stain
McMurdo LTER (IPY)
Lake Bonney field camp, Dry Valleys, Antarctica
I was lucky enough to be a collaborating scientist on the IPY Polar Night project. Our team spent February to April 2008 at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, living and working in remote field camps in the Dry Valleys whilst studying the microbial dynamics and biogeochemistry of perennially ice-covered lakes. I investigated the response of viral-bacterial dynamics to the seasonal changes associated with the encroaching austral winter. I also ran an in situ experiment to determine the effect of decreasing light levels on the photosynthetic behaviour and gene regulation of the green alga, Chlamydomonas raudensis, on behalf of Dr. Rachael Morgan-Kiss, Miami University, Ohio, USA. Read my Antarctic blog here.
L-R: Lake Bonney ice; Using a light meter; Dry Valleys ventifact
Recent projects
E.U. STReP project #505564: Integrating new technologies for the study of benthic coastal ecosystem response to human activity: towards a Coastal Ocean Benthic Observatory (COBO).
Coastal ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic perturbation, affecting biodiversity and ecosystem function, stability and resilience. During COBO we developed and integrated emerging and innovative technologies from different disciplines (biology, physics, chemistry, imagery) to provide in situ monitoring of sediment habitats. Our aim was to understand complex interactions between the biota (function and diversity) and their chemical environment. The project encompassed technology development, extensive field and laboratory work, as well as public understanding of science activities. I focussed on investigating the effects of anthropogenic disturbance (organic carbon inputs and physical disturbance) on the microbial (viruses and bacteria) and meiofaunal community in Loch Creran, Scotland. I was workpackage leader for WP10: Scientific outcomes and dissemination. See www.cobo.org.uk for further details.
Polar Microbial Research
I have spent two winters in Antarctica at the Australian Davis Research Station and two summers on Axel Heiberg Island, Canadian High Arctic, characterising the prevalence of mixotrophic protists in polar waters (freshwater and saline lakes, marine coastal environments, sea ice communities). The aim was to test the hypothesis that extreme environmental conditions up-regulate mixotrophic behaviour. Work is ongoing to determine the extent and phylogeny of mixotrophy in Pyramimonas spp. See http://www.scar.org/awards/fellowships/bell/ for further details.
L-R: Collecting water in winter; Pyramimonas gelidicola autofluorescence; SEM of mixotroph P. gelidicola
Acidic Lakes
During my time at Potsdam University, Germany, I conducted collaborative food web research in extremely acidic German mining lakes (pH 2.65; see image) and Arctic aquatic systems (pH 4). We characterised the temporal and spatial abundance and biomass of all components of the food web; measured growth and grazing rates of the main protistan components; demonstrated that grazing by mixotrophs was responsible for deep algal accumulations in our focal German study lake; and established whole lake carbon flow models: click here for more information.
Teaching / supervising activities
I teach on the SAMS Marine Science B.Sc.
Module Leader for new Marine Conservation course (Level 3) and contribute lectures to Marine Resources (Level 2), Marine Zoology (Level 3), Microbial Ecology (Level 3)
Publications
Bell, E.M., Weithoff, G. 2008. Recruitment of Heliozoa, rhizopods and rotifers from the sediments of an extremely acidic lake during spring and early summer. Lakes and Reservoirs Research and Management, 13: 105-115.
Bell, E., Apitz, S.E., Breuer, E. et al. 2007. Integrating New Technologies for the Study of Benthic Ecosystems Response to Human Activity: Towards a Coastal Ocean Benthic Observatory (COBO). Proceedings of the Italian Association of Oceanology and Limnology, In Press.
Park, T-G., Bell, E.M., Pearce, I., Rublee, P.A., Bolch, C.J.S., Hallegraeff, G.M. 2007. Detection of a novel ecotype of Pfiesteria piscicida (Dinophyceae) in an Antarctic saline lake by real time PCR. Polar Biology, 30: 843-848.
Pearce, I., Davidson, A.T., Bell, E.M., Wright, S. 2007. Seasonal changes in the concentration and metabolic activity of bacteria and viruses at an Antarctic coastal site. Aquatic Microbial Ecology, 47: 11-23.
Bell, E.M., Weithoff, G. & Gaedke, U. 2006. Seasonal dynamics and growth of Actinophrys sol (Sarcodina: Heliozoa), the top predator in an extremely acidic lake. Freshwater Biology, 51: 1149-1161.
Schmidtke, A., Bell, E.M. & Weithoff, G. 2006. Grazing impact of the mixotrophic flagellate Ochromonas sp. (Chrysophyceae) on bacteria. Journal of Plankton Research, 98: 991-1001.
Kamjunke, N., Gaedke, U., Tittel, J., Weithoff, G. & Bell, E.M. 2004. Strong vertical differences in the plankton composition of an extremely acidic lake. Archiv für Hydrobiologie, 161: 289-306.
Bell, E.M. & Laybourn-Parry, J. 2003. Mixotrophy in the Antarctic phytoflagellate, Pyramimonas gelidicola. Journal of Phycology, 39: 644-649.
Bell, E.M., Lockyear, J.F., Schulz, J., Marsden, A.D. & Vincent, A.C.J. 2003. First field studies of an endangered South African seahorse, Hippocampus capensis. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 67: 35-46.
Bell, E.M. & Weithoff, G. 2003. The role of microbial recruitment in benthic-pelagic coupling. Journal of Marine Biology and Ecology 285/286: 205-219.
Raffaelli, D., Bell, E.M. et al. 2003. Dealing with the ups and downs of benthic ecology. Journal of Marine Biology and Ecology 285/286: 191-203.
Tittel, J., Bissinger, V., Zippel, B., Gaedke, U., Bell, E.M., Lorke, A. & Kamjunke, N. 2003. Mixotrophs combine resource use to out-compete specialists: implications for aquatic food webs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A., 100: 12776-12781.
Bell, E.M. and Vincent, A.C.J. 2000. Gasterosteiforms. Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Laybourn-Parry, J., Roberts, E.C. & Bell, E.M. 2000. Mixotrophy as a survival strategy in Antarctic lakes. In: W. Davidson, C. Howard-Williams & P. Broady (eds.) Antarctic Ecosystems: Models for Wider Ecological Understanding, The Caxton Press, Christchurch, New Zealand, pp. 33-40.
Bell, E.M. & Laybourn-Parry, J. 1999. Annual plankton dynamics in an Antarctic saline lake. Freshwater Biology, 41: 507-519.
Bell, E.M. & Laybourn-Parry, J. 1999. The plankton community of a young, eutrophic, Antarctic saline lake. Polar Biology, 22: 248-253.
Laybourn-Parry, J., Bell, E.M. & Roberts, E.C. 1999. Growth of Protozoa in Antarctic lakes. Polar Biology, 23: 443-451.
Maranzana, G., Bell, E., Bozo, S. & Talarico, L. 1996. Response of the red alga Audouinella saviana (meneghini) woelkerling to cadmium: Preliminary observations. Giornale Botanico Italiano, 130 (4-6): 76-79.
Educational and career history
2007 - present Lecturer in Marine Microbial Ecology, Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, UK
2004 – 2006 Postdoctoral Research Fellow and P.I. of an E.U. STReP project: COBO (# 505564). Potsdam University, Germany
2004 – 2005 S.C.A.R. Prince of Asturias & D.F.G. Fellow. Davis Station, Antarctica
2001 – 2003 E.U. Marie Curie Host Development Fellow & I.Q.N. Fellow. Potsdam University, Germany
1999 – 2000 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Project Seahorse. McGill University, Montreal, Canada
1995 - 1998 Ph.D. to investigate the seasonal dynamics of the plankton in the saline lakes of the Vestfold Hills, Eastern Antarctica. Nottingham University, UK
1991-1995 1st Class B.Sc. (Honours) in Environmental Biology, St. Andrews University, UK
Other
NERC Peer College Review member
Board member of Wildlife Conservation Trust, Chimp-n-Sea: http://www.chimp-n-sea.org/
Guest lecturer at Potsdam University, Germany
Guest lecturer at Aberdeen University, UK
Guest lecturer (online) Queen Mary University London, UK
L-R: Ice cave in Taylor Glacier; Emperor penguin at Davis Station; Moon over Lake Bonney