Daniel Pettay, PhD

Daniel (Tye) Pettay, PhD

Assistant Professor, Biological Oceanography
Department of Natural Sciences

Beaufort campus

Marine Sciences Building

Office 204 - Lab 201

801 Carteret Street

Beaufort, SC 29902

Office: 843-521-4147

dpettay@uscb.edu

CV_Pettay.pdf

Algal biology, biogeochemistry, biogeography, comparative physiology, ecology/evolution, environmental change, harmful algae, continuous environmental monitoring, invertebrate/algal symbioses, microbial ecology, molecular ecology, oceanography, and population genetics.

I am a broadly trained molecular ecologist interested in how microalgal populations, species and communities respond to environmental change, both natural and anthropogenic in nature, and influence tidal, seasonal and long-term trends in biogeochemical processes. I investigate these processes over spatial scales ranging from meters to thousands of kilometers using an interdisciplinary approach that includes molecular genetics, environmental monitoring and comparative physiology. An in-depth understanding of these processes is lacking for a vast majority of microalgae, preventing adequate evolutionary and ecological comparisons between taxa over a phylogenetic continuum. My long-term goal is to address this void and better understand the diverse roles these organisms play in coastal ecosystems that are increasingly impacted by human activities. I currently focus on the temperate microalgal and cyanobacterial communities of the eastern United States and the algal symbionts of tropical invertebrates, particularly coral.