C-MAIKI
Center for MICROBIOME Analysis
through Island Knowledge & Investigation
the
INSTITUTE
Alex Culley
Associate Researcher
Pacific Biosciences Research Center
Phone: (808) 638-1325
E-mail: aculley@hawaii.edu
Web: https://www.viralecologylab.com/
MY RESEARCH
The overarching theme of my research program has been to understand the diversity, dynamics, function, and interactions of wild viruses in sentinel ecosystems in the context of a changing climate.
C-MĀIKI SYNERGY
Viruses are the most abundant and diverse biological entities on Earth, regardless of the biome, ecosystem or niche. Despite their ubiquity, the ecological role of viruses in the environment remains poorly understood. The transdisciplinary nature of C-MĀIKI and the diversity of niches represented in the Waimea Bay Ahupuaʻa combine to present an ideal framework to elucidate fundamental principles in viral ecology.
IMPACT TO HAWAII
There is relatively little known about the wild virus communities of Hawai’i. This work promises to give new insight into the nature of these communities and how viruses impact the organisms they infect in a representative watershed of cultural significance.
