Nicole S. Webster

This study examines how thermal stress affects microbial symbiosis and host activity in the sponge Ianthella basta, showing tissue regression, symbiont loss, and microbial shifts under elevated temperatures.

This paper develops an eco-evolutionary theory explaining how host-specific microbiomes evolve through environmental fluctuations and vertical transmission, showing their heritability and specificity despite external influences.

The paper examines how marine reserves affect seawater microbial communities in the Great Barrier Reef, finding distinct microbiomes between protected and fished areas.

The paper presents a microbial genomes database for the Great Barrier Reef, highlighting underrepresented prokaryotic and viral genomes and their utility in predicting reef management impacts.

The paper presents a model to characterize microbiome assembly mechanisms using marine sponge and human microbiome data, showing that general mechanisms shape community structures across biological systems.

This study evaluates the diagnostic value of microbial communities in coral reef ecosystems to predict environmental perturbations, finding that free-living microbiomes are more sensitive and informative than host-associated ones.