About the Speaker
Jim Sullivan is originally from New England and received his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography. He has spent most of his career studying phytoplankton and developing new optical instrumentation and techniques to better understand their ecology in the ocean. He is particularly interested in the biology of dinoflagellates, bioluminescence, and Harmful Algal Blooms. He has recently joined FAU Harbor Branch as a Research Professor. He and his family are now extremely happy to be living in sunny and warm Florida, and to be part of the FAU Harbor Branch family.
About the Lecture
The term “phytoplankton” is derived from ancient Greek and translates as “wandering plant”. However, this simple term masks the incredible adaptations that these single cell, microscopic organisms have evolved to thrive in the oceans. For example, while many phytoplankton can be considered plants, many species also bridge the gap between plants and animals, having characteristics of both, and some are not plants at all. And far from being passive “wandering” organisms carried at the whim of the ocean’s currents, many species have evolved methods to control their movements in the ocean.
This lecture discusses the amazing adaptations of different phytoplankton species and how these different adaptations in form and function contribute to the success of a species, and their competition with each other, to dominate and thrive in the turbulent environment of the oceans.