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Dr. Craig Moyer's

Research Homepage
Craig L. Moyer
Professor
Biology Department
Western Washington University
Bellingham, WA 98225
Office: (360)650-7935
Fax: (360)650-3148
email: cmoyer@hydro.biol.wwu.edu
Curriculum Vitae



Brief Synopsis of Research and Educational Activities


My speciality is the marine microbial ecology and geomicrobiology of hydrothermal vent systems. I also maintain interests in terrestrial and aquatic microbial ecology, microbe-macrobe symbiotic relationships, bioremediation and microbial cycles that impact global climate change. My most recent work includes the biodiversity and biogeography of the Zetaproteobacteria from several hydrothernmal vent sites across the Pacific Ocean (with Sean McAllister, WWU) as well as the discovery and description of ultra-diffuse and ultra-deep hydrothermal vents as sites of massive umber deposits at the base of Loihi Seamount as part of the Iron Microbial Observatory or FeMO (with Katrina Edwards, USC, and other FeMO team members). In addition, I have been involved with the discovery of a novel class of neutrophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria known as the Zetaproteobacteria (with David Emerson, Bigelow Labs), the demonstration that Zetaproteobacteria can act as pioneering colonizers in the formation of microbial mats (with Allen Rassa, WWU), the detection of hyper-diverse microbial communities associated with deep-ocean basalts (with Cara Santelli, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History) and the determination that vestimentiferan tubeworms can harbor more than a single population of endosymbionts associated with their trophosome (with Leslie Chao-Davis, WWU). My lab was also the first to describe multiple microbial mat communities associated with active volcanoes along the Mariana Arc region (with Rick Davis, OHSU). Beyond establishing the basic microbial census and phylogenetic information, we also identified that this area was a microbial hotspot regarding unusually high bacterial biodiversity and our discoveries were used to support the federal government's recommendation and eventual formation of the Mariana Marine Sanctuary, which is now a national monument in the Western Pacific.

Currently, my lab is examining the occurrence of unique Zetaproteobacteria residing in the deep subsurface biosphere as part of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program's (IODP) expedition 331 to hydrothermally active mounds in the Okinawa Trough (with Sean McAllister, WWU). We are also working to describe the community structure and diversity of extremophilic Archaea associated with deep-sea springs emanating pH 12.5 fluids that occur at the summit of mud volcanoes located along the Mariana Forearc (with Andrea Curtis, WWU). These microbial communities represent to upper boundary with respect to pH that life is known to exist on Earth and are fueled by serpentinization reactions occurring ~30 kilometers deep within the oceanic crust. My lab is also continuing our long-term study of iron- and sulfur-oxidizing Bacteria from the hydrothermal vents in and around the caldera at Loihi Seamount, the soon-to-be next island in the Hawaiian chain. We are presently monitoring the ecological changes in these microbial communities that have occurred after a major eruptive event using fine-scale molecular microbial techniques including qPCR and metagenomics (with Kelsey Jesser, Kevin Hager and Heather Fullerton, WWU). Other projects in the lab include, collaborating with WWU's Shannon Point Marine Center in order to conduct novel manipulative experiments on the effects of global climate change on the composition and metabolism of heterotrophic bacterioplankton in the Salish Sea (with Nam Siu and Jude Apple, WWU). We are also examining the biodiversity and biogeography of Thermococcus isolates from several distinct hydrothermal vent regions across the Pacific Ocean using AFLP and MLST analyses (Mark Price and Debbie Whitley, WWU). Finally, as an example of an undergraduate inspired and co-directed project, for the last three years we have been studying the microbial community ecotypes across a strong thermal gradient at Queen's Laundry Hot Springs in Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park (with Kyle Hager et al., WWU).

My educational activities include facilitating opportunities for both undergraduates and Master's level graduate students. I am also involved with educational outreach at both the elementary and secondary levels. Myself and my students have recently participated in both science fair and culture camp activities with high school and grade school students in Hydaburg, Alaska. My teaching here at Western focuses in the areas of cell biology, microbiology, molecular phylogeny, and microbial ecology.

Selected Recent Publications:

QPCR Analysis of Functional Genes in Iron-Rich Microbial Mats at an Active Hydrothermal Vent System (Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2015, 81:2976-2984)

The effects of ocean acidity and elevated temperature on bacterioplankton community structure and metabolism (Open J. Ecology, 2014)

The first micro contamination assessment by the D/V Chikyu at Iheya North (IODP Exp 331) (Frontiers in Microbiology, 2013)

Hidden in plain sight: discovery of sheath-forming, iron-oxidizing Zetaproteobacteria at Loihi Seamount (FEMS Microbial Ecology, 2013)

Mariana forearc serpentinite mud volcanoes harbor novel communities of extremophilic Archaea (Geomicro J. 2013, 30:430-441)

Prospects for the study of evolution in the deep biosphere (Frontiers in Microbiology, 2012)

Effects of plant removal on Archaeal microbial communities (Estuaries and Coasts, 2012)

Biodiversity and emerging biogeography of the neutrophilic iron-oxidizing Zetaproteobacteria (Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2011, 77:5445-5457)

Ultra-diffuse hydrothermal venting supports Fe-oxidizing bacteria and massive umber deposition at 5000m off Hawaii (ISME J. 2011, 5:1748-1758)

Microbiology of seamounts: Common patterns observed in community structure (Oceanography 2010, 23:148-163)

Zeta-Proteobacteria dominate the colonization and formation of microbial mats in low-temperature hydrothermal vents at Loihi Seamount, Hawaii (Geomicro J. 2009, 26:623-638)

Bacterial variability within an iron-silica-manganese-rich hydrothermal mound located off-axis at the Cleft Segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge (Geomicro J. 2009, 26:570-580)

Extreme spatial and temporal variability of hydrothermal microbial mat communities along the Mariana Island Arc and southern Mariana back-arc system (JGR 2008, 113:B08S15)

Abundance and diversity of microbial life in ocean crust (Nature 2008, 453:653-656)

A novel lineage of Proteobacteria involved in formation of marine Fe-oxidizing microbial mat communities (PLoS ONE 2007, 2:e667)

Characterization of bacterial community structure in vestimentiferan tubeworm Ridgeia piscesae trophosomes (Mar. Ecol. 2007, 28:72-85)

Current Research Project Outreach and News Links:

Kelsey Jesser gets the cover on the May issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology!

SRoF Ironman Cruise to the Mariana Arc - Nov/Dec 2014

Rust Villages of the Deep: In Pele's Shadow, Iron Oxide, or Rust, Comes to Life

Moyer is an Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Distinguished Lecturer for 2012 - 2013

Zeta biogeography makes the cover of Applied and Environmental Microbiology: August 2011

Expedition Report: Exp 331 Deep Hot Bioshpere

Mission to the Deep Hot Biosphere: Okinawa Trough 2010

WWU Biology Professor's Research Helps Establish New National Marine Monument: 2009

FeMO Cruises: 2006 to 2009

Links to Useful Database Sites:

 ARB SILVA - Database and Alignment Tools
Ribosomal Database Project
NCBI & GenBank

Other Helpful Links:

 U.S. Science Support for the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program
Marianas Trench Marine National Monument
ROV JASON II & ROPOS websites
Loihi Island in 3011 as seen on "Futurama"
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Biology Department Homepage

Last Update: 04/03/2015