Assignments

For next week’s lectures, please read:

Hughes Martiny et al, Microbial Biogeography Nat Rev Micro

I’ve highlighted several sections in the article that are especially worthwhile.  It’s a bit long and dense, so pace yourself and try to sort out the different explanations for why everything might not be everywhere.

For next week’s recitation (in place of lab), which will take place in Rudman 203, please read:

Whitaker et al, Sulfolobus hot spring biogeography

and, if it helps you understand how they came to their conclusions, their methods:

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/sci;1086909/DC1

In advance of recitation, please write a post on your blog on the following:

Is everything everywhere?  How much does the environment select?  Are there barriers to dispersal for microbes?

For those of you who really dig this, there’s an excellent follow-up study that you may wish to read (optional), which can be found here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16093568?dopt=Abstract