Research interest

        My primary research interests reside in understanding structure and dynamic of microbial communities related to their ecological function. In order to determine and monitor the dynamics in microbial communities, various molecular techniques including T-RFLP fingerprinting, quantitative-PCR and microarray analysis have been used by targeting the functional genes of interests. Stable Isotope Mass Spectrometry has been added as a new tool to investigate the microbial activities in sediments and soils. Furthermore, diverse microorganisms in the environments are accessed using innovative cultivation methods as well as culture independent methods (metagenomes).

Research area:

·         Sedimentary N cycle: Anaerobic ammonia oxidation (ANAMMOX), denitrification and nitrification  

·         Biogeochemical cycle of toxic metals: Microbial transformation of arsenic and selenium

·         Molecular biology of marine phytoplankton:

Transcriptional analysis of nitrate uptake in marine diatom

Genetic systems involved in toxin production from marine phytoplankton

·         Microbial source tracking: Molecular fingerprinting of Bacteroides in watershed

·         Biotechnology: Renewable application of hog lagoon wastes

 

Research projects:

 

2009-2012                 USDA Soil Processes: ANAMMOX: a new sink of N fertilizer in agricultural fields.

2009-2012                 NSF Biological Oceanography: Implication of ANAMMOX community structure and microbial interactions in estuarine N removal processes.

2009-2010                 NC Pork Council: Bacterial consortia in swine waste lagoons: The role of purple phototrophic bacteria and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) in odor control and natural products synthesis.

2009-2010                 NC WRRI: Using PCR-based methods to assess microbial contamination from swine CAFOs in surface and groundwater.

2009-2010                 NC Biotech: Biodiesel production from hog lagoon microbial communities.

2008-2009                 Coastal Planning & Engineering of North Carolina Inc: Fecal bacteria source tracking in Pages Creek.

2008-2010                 NOAA/NC Sea Grant: Nitrogen removal capacity of NC estuaries: accessing distribution and

control.

2008-2009                 CMS Pilot Project Grant: Development of multiple nanosensors to detect toxigenic Karenia brevis and

brevetoxins.

2007-2008                 UNC Research Competitiveness Fund: Microbial anti-oxidents from swine waste lagoon.

2006-2008                 NOAA/NC Sea Grant: Microbial nitrogen cycling in the Cape Fear River Estuary: attenuation vs. recycling and the effects of a variable freshwater-saltwater boundary.

2006-2007                 NSF Starter Grants for Postdoctoral Fellows in Microbial Biology: Molecular detection of diverse arsenic transforming prokaryotes and their activities in anaerobic estuarine sediments.

2005-2008                 NSF Biological Oceanography: Eukaryotic phytoplankton functional diversity: dynamics of

phytoplankton.

 

 

Publications:

 

López-Legentil, B. Song, S., M. DeTure, and D. G. Baden (2009) Characterization and localization of a hybrid non ribosomal peptide synthetase and polyketide synthase gene from the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis. Marine Biotechnology. In press.

Erwin, P. M., B. Song and A. M. Szmant (2009) Settlement behavior of Acropora palmate planulae: effects of biofilm age and crustose coralline algal cover. Proceeding of the 11th international coral reef symposium. In press.

Cahoon, L. B. and B. Song (2009) Microbiological Threats to Water Quality. In Water Quality Handbook (Ed. Satinder Ahuja). In press.

Dale, O. R., C. Tobias and B. Song (2009) Biogeographical distribution of diverse anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (ANAMMOX) bacteria in Cape Fear River Estuary. Environ. Microbiol. 11:1194-1207.

Song, B., E. Chyun, P. Jaffe and B. B. Ward  (2009) Molecular methods to detect and monitor  dissimilatory arsenate respiring bacteria (DARB) in sediments. FEMS Microbiol Ecology. 68: 108-117.

Chae, J.-C., B. Song and G. J. Zylstra (2008) Identification of genes encoding for hydrolytic Dehalogenation in the metagenome derived from a denitrifying 4-chlorobenzoate degrading consortium. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 281: 203-209.

López-Legentil, S., B. Song, S. Mcmurray and J. R. Pawlik (2008) Bleaching and stress in coral reef ecosystems: Hsp70 expression by the giant barrel sponge Xestospongia muta. Mol. Ecol. 17: 1840-1849.

Oates H. and B. Song (2008) Molecular Detection of Dissimilatory Arsenate Respiring Bacteria (DARB) in North Carolina Groundwater. In Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater: Mechanism, Analysis, and Remediation. (Ed. Satinder Ahuja) John Wiley & Sons Publisher. Pg 83-94.

Rich, J. J., O. R. Dale, B. Song, and B. B. Ward (2008) Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) in Chesapeake Bay sediments. Microbial Ecol. 55:311-320.

Lear G, B. Song, G.A. Gault, D. A. Polya, and J. R. Lloyd (2007) Molecular analysis of arsenate-reducing bacteria within Cambodian sediments following amendment with acetate. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 1041-1048.

Song, B and B. B. Ward. (2007) Molecular cloning and characterization of high affinity nitrate transporters in marine phytoplankton. J Phycol 43: 542-552.

Park, H., B. Song and F. M. M. Morel (2007) Diversity of the cadmium containing carbonic anhydrase (CDCA) in marine diatoms and seawater. Environ. Microbiol. 9: 403-413.

Song, B. and B. B. Ward. (2005) Genetic Diversity of benzoyl-CoA reductase genes detected in denitrifying isolates and estuarine sediments. Appl Environ Microbiol 71: 2036-2045.

Allen, A. E., B. B. Ward and B. Song (2005) Characterization of diatom (Bacillariophyceae) nitrate reductase genes and detection of eukaryotic nitrate reductase genes from marine waters. J Phycol . 41: 95-104.

Jiang, W., A. Saxena, B. Song, B. B. Ward, T. J. Beveridge, S. C. B. Myneni (2004) Elucidation of functional groups on gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial surfaces using infrared spectroscopy. Langmuir 20, 11433-11442.

Song, B. and B. B. Ward. (2004) Molecular characterization of assimilatory nitrate reductase gene in marine green alga Dunaliella tertiolecta. J Phycol  40: 721-731.

Song, B. and B. B. Ward. (2003) Nitrite reductase genes in halobenzoate degrading denitrifying bacteria and related species. FEMS Microbial Ecology  43: 349-357.

Song, B., L. J. Kerkhof and M. M. Häggblom. (2002) Characterization of bacterial consortia capable of degrading 4-chlorobenzoate and 4-bromobenzoate under denitrifying conditions. FEMS Microbiol Lett  213: 183-188.

Song, B., N. J. Palleroni, L. J. Kerkhof  and M. M. Häggblom. (2001) Characterization of halobenzoate-degrading denitrifying bacteria belonging to the genera Azoarcus and Thauera and description of Thauera chlorobenzoica sp. nov. Int J Syst Evolut Microbiol 51: 589-602.

Song, B., N. J. Palleroni and M. M. Häggblom. (2000) Description of strain 3CB-1, a genomovar of Thauera aromatica, capable of degrading 3-chlorobenzoate coupled to nitrate reduction  Int J Syst Evolut Microbiol 50: 551-558.

Song, B., N. J. Palleroni and M. M. Häggblom. (2000) Isolation and characterization of diverse halobenzoate-degrading bacteria from soils and sediments. Appl Environ Microbiol 66: 3446-3453.

Song, B., M. M. Häggblom, J. Zhou, J. M. Tiedje and N. J. Palleroni. (1999) Taxonomic characterization of denitrifying bacteria that degrade aromatic compounds and description of Azoarcus toluvorans sp. nov. and Azoarcus toluclasticus sp. nov.. Int J Syst Bacteriol 49: 1129-1140.

Song, B., L. Y. Young, and N. J. Palleroni. (1998) Identification of denitrifier strain T1 as Thauera aromatica and proposal for emendation of the genus Thauera definition. Int J Syst Bacteriol 48: 889-894.