Peter R. Girguis

Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

Interim Faculty Support: Jennifer Thomson

We study the physiology and biochemistry of deep sea microorganisms, with an emphasis on carbon and nitrogen metabolism, to better understand their role in mediating local and global biogeochemical cycles. We also study the physiological relationships (such as nutrient exchange and immune responses) between microbes and animals in natural systems. To that end, we apply traditional or modern geochemical and molecular technologies -and develop new technologies- to interrogate physiological and biochemical processes in natural systems or laboratory simulations.

Recent Publications

Lu Z, Girguis P, Liang P, Shi H, Huang G, Cai L, Zhang L. 2015. Biological capacitance studies of anodes in microbial fuel cells using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering. 38 :1325-1333.

Jiang Y, Liang P, Zhang C, Bian Y, Yang X, Huang X, Girguis PR. 2015. Enhancing the response of microbial fuel cell based toxicity sensors to Cu (II) with the applying of flow-through electrodes and controlled anode potentials. Bioresource Technology. 190 :367-372.

Bradley AS, Leavitt WD, Schmidt M, Knoll AH, Girguis PR, Johnston DT. 2015. Patterns of microbial sulfur isotope fractionation at low sulfate concentrations. Geobiology.

Beinart RA, Gartman A, Sanders JG, Luther GW, Girguis PR. 2015. The uptake and excretion of partially oxidized sulfur expands the repertoire of energy resources metabolized by hydrothermal vent symbioses. Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences. 282

Liao L, Wankel SD, Wu M, Cavanaugh CM, Girguis PR. 2014. Characterizing the plasticity of nitrogen metabolism by the host and symbionts of the hydrothermal vent chemoautotrophic symbioses Ridgeia piscesae. Molecular Ecology. 23 :1544-1557

Courses Taught

OEB 119 Deep Sea Biology
OEB 191 Physiological and Biochemical Adaptation
OEB 194 Laboratory Techniques in Ecological Physiology
OEB 364 Ecological Physiology of Microbes