Guy Schleyer

I am fascinated by the ways microbes communicate by a great variety of compounds. Bacteria can support the growth of algae, for example, but can also prey on them. Viruses can infect and kill algal populations, which can, in turn, try to defend themselves. Such interactions can determine the course of important large-scale geochemical processes in the ocean and, consequently, even regulate our climate. If you understand the chemical signals between various microorganisms, you get a better picture of what is happening at the base of the marine food web. It comes down to ‘eavesdropping’ on the talk between these microorganisms and deciphering it.