Meet The Microbiologist - The Scientists Behind The Microbiology

Dr. Elizabeth Dinsdale, Matthew Flinders Fellow in Marine Biology in the College of Science and Engineering at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, uses genomic techniques to investigate the biodiversity of microbial communities in distinct ecological niches, including coral reefs, kelp forest and shark epidermis. She discusses how shotgun metagenomics is being used to characterize the architecture of microbial communities living in the thin layer of underlying mucus on shark’s skin, and how understanding the function of these microbes is providing clues to important host-microbe interactions, including heavy metal tolerance. Ashley’s Biggest Takeaways: Sharks belong to a subclass of cartilaginous fish called elasmobranchs and are unique in that their epidermises are covered in dermal denticles—overlapping tooth-like structures that reduce drag and turbulence, helping the shark to move quickly and quietly through the water. These dermal denticles are sharp (if you’re going to pet a shark, make sure you