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.
2006-2007 NSF Starter Grants for
Postdoctoral Fellows in Microbial
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.