Gabriella Jackson (Maria Gabriella Nunes De Oliveira), Research Associate Science Building, Room 338M 400 E. University Way Ellensburg, WA 98926-7537 (509) 963-2878 email: jackson@cwu.edu

Education

Teaching

General Biology (Biology 181)

Research

My research, in collaboration Dr. M. A. Coffroth (University at Buffalo) and Dr. P. Matrai (Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences), focuses on the effects of environmental and biological stresses on the production of the sulfur compound dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) by zooxanthellae (intracellular symbiotic dinoflagellates of the genus Symbiodinium). DMPS and its breakdown products, dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), are important components of the biogeochemical cycling of sulfur and may affect local climate, as DMS is a supply of cloud condensation nuclei. DMSP and its derivatives may play an important role in the coral-dinoflagellate holobiont (coral-symbiont complex), as DMSP synthesis is energetic costly. Because some Symbiodinium strains are more resistant to environmental perturbations than others, different endosymbiont and coral hosts may respond to different stress conditions by producing different amounts of DMS/P/O. My collaborators and I propose to investigate the role of DMS/P/O in these organisms.

Recent Publications

• Coffroth, M. A., M. G. Jackson, P. Matrai, and C. Rauschenberg. 2008. Variation in zooxanthella production of dymethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP). 11th International Coral Reef Symposium. Fort Lauderdale, FL, p. 549.
• Jackson, G. and J. Stuckey. Effects of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) produced by the cordgrass Spartina alterniflora on the epiphytic algal community. 2007. Aquatic Sciences 69 (3): 419-426.
• Jackson, G., R. Coutinho, L. M. Lage, and R. C. Pereira. 2006. Effects of biofouling on the susceptibility of macroalgae to grazing. 13th International Congress on Marine Corrosion and Fouling. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Jackson, G., R. Zingmark, A. Lewitus, R. G. Tymowski, and J. Stuckey. 2006. Spatial and temporal dynamics of epiphytes on Spartina alterniflora in North Inlet Estuary, SC. Estuaries and Coasts 29 (6B): 1212-1221.
• Jackson, G., A. J. Lewitus, and R. Zingmark. Composition of the epiphytic community on the cordgrass Spartina alterniflora in North Inlet Estuary, SC, using HPLC analyses and CHEMTAX interpretations. Submitted.
• Jackson, G., R. Zingmark, and A. J. Lewitus. Modeling epiphytic community production. Submitted.
• Jackson, G., L. M. Lage, R. Coutinho, and R. C. Pereira. Effects of biofouling (epibiosis) on the susceptibility of macroalgae to grazing. In preparation.
• Jackson, G., R. Coutinho, and C. Bassani. Initial colonization of the periphytic community on artificial substrates in Cabo Frio Island, Brazil. In preparation.