Amanda

Tinoco

In recent years, it has become obvious that animal-microbe interactions play important roles in shaping ecosystems and human health. The Cleves Lab is broadly interested in the genetic and cellular mechanisms that underlie such interactions and how these interactions evolve. Specifically, we study the charismatic and ecologically important cnidarian-algal endosymbiosis (which is essential to the lives of reef-building corals) to explore these questions. We investigate this symbiosis with an integrated approach using both corals and a model system for coral biology, the symbiotic anemone Aiptasia.