Catherine Pfister, PhD

My research in ecology has focused on the dynamics of species in marine systems and the role they play at ecosystems scales. Two recurring themes in my research are the implications of species interactions for community and ecosystem dynamics, and the contribution of climate change to species dynamics. My interests can be broadly grouped into four areas: (1) the interplay between species and productivity in coastal marine ecosystems, (2) the implications of ocean acidification in coastal marine ecosystems, (3) identifying the causes and consequences of variability in marine populations and (4) understanding the relative impacts of genetic and demographic factors to extinction risk.



I train PhD students who are interested in testing ecological and evolutionary concepts and pursuing new discoveries in marine ecosystems. Students in my lab have used a diversity of methods in their work, including mathematical models, genetics and -omics, biogeochemistry, and microscopy. There is a diverse group of faculty across multiple departments whose work is related to the ecology of the oceans, and the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole is our affiliate.

University of Washington
Seattle
PhD - Zoology
1993

University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill
MS - Marine Sciences
1987

University of Illinois
Champaign-Urbana
BS - Biology
1984

Bacteria on the foundational kelp in kelp forest ecosystems: Insights from culturing, whole genome sequencing and metabolic assays.
Bacteria on the foundational kelp in kelp forest ecosystems: Insights from culturing, whole genome sequencing and metabolic assays. Environ Microbiol Rep. 2024 Jun; 16(3):e13270.
PMID: 38778582

Ammonification by kelp associated microbes increases ammonium availability.
Ammonification by kelp associated microbes increases ammonium availability. PLoS One. 2024; 19(3):e0296622.
PMID: 38551914

Microbial associates of an endemic Mediterranean seagrass enhance the access of the host and the surrounding seawater to inorganic nitrogen under ocean acidification.
Microbial associates of an endemic Mediterranean seagrass enhance the access of the host and the surrounding seawater to inorganic nitrogen under ocean acidification. Sci Rep. 2023 11 15; 13(1):19996.
PMID: 37968499

The Diversity and Functional Capacity of Microbes Associated with Coastal Macrophytes.
The Diversity and Functional Capacity of Microbes Associated with Coastal Macrophytes. mSystems. 2022 10 26; 7(5):e0059222.
PMID: 35993708

The evolutionary past and the uncertain future of foundational species.
The evolutionary past and the uncertain future of foundational species. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 08 16; 119(33):e2211134119.
PMID: 35939678

Functional Insights into the Kelp Microbiome from Metagenome-Assembled Genomes.
Functional Insights into the Kelp Microbiome from Metagenome-Assembled Genomes. mSystems. 2022 Jun 28; 7(3):e0142221.
PMID: 35642511

Spatial organization of the kelp microbiome at micron scales.
Spatial organization of the kelp microbiome at micron scales. Microbiome. 2022 Mar 24; 10(1):52.
PMID: 35331334

Conceptual Exchanges for Understanding Free-Living and Host-Associated Microbiomes.
Conceptual Exchanges for Understanding Free-Living and Host-Associated Microbiomes. mSystems. 2022 02 22; 7(1):e0137421.
PMID: 35014872

Differential impacts of alternate primary producers on carbon cycling.
Differential impacts of alternate primary producers on carbon cycling. Ecology. 2021 09; 102(9):e03455.
PMID: 34166524

Magnitude and Predictability of pH Fluctuations Shape Plastic Responses to Ocean Acidification.
Magnitude and Predictability of pH Fluctuations Shape Plastic Responses to Ocean Acidification. Am Nat. 2021 04; 197(4):486-501.
PMID: 33755541

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Frances Straus Mentorship Award
University of Chicago
2018

Miller Postdoctoral Fellow
University of California at Berkeley
1993 - 1995