Kim Beach Ritchie

I have studied coral reef health and disease for over 25 years, with an emphasis on marine microbial dynamics. Dramatic global changes have resulted in investigations into climate and oceanic pH changes on host-microbe dynamics, including the role of beneficial microbes in marine organism health. My lab was the first to discover that corals harbor antibiotic producing bacteria that play a role in coral health. I have also shown that these beneficial bacteria disappear when temperatures increase, a phenomenon correlated to an increase in coral diseases. My current research focuses on the role beneficial bacteria may play in wound healing in elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays) and their potential as a source for novel antibiotics.

May 2019