Inga E. Conti-Jerpe, PhD

I am an ecologist fascinated by what makes some organisms work together to their mutual benefit despite the fierce competition amongst living things for resources. I use diverse techniques including stable isotope analysis and molecular tools (RADseq, transcriptomics) to investigate the functioning and evolution of mutualisms in which partners exchange nutrients. While my MS and PhD work focused on symbiotic hard and soft corals, I have expanded my study systems to include diverse marine invertebrates that associate with algae (e.g. giant clams, nudibranchs, anemones, etc), lichens, and plant-mycorrhizal systems. Working across taxa allows me to ask questions about nutritional mutualisms broadly as opposed to within one phylogenetic group.