Current Research: David Chapman

My research interests, and those of my research group, cover all aspects of experimental phycology, although the bulk of the research over the years has concentrated mainly on algal (both seaweeds and phytoplankton) physiology, biochemistry, their evolution of biochemical systems and applied phycology. While the emphasis is laboratory-based research, a number of projects have involved a combination of both lab and field work. I consider myself a generalist experimental phycologist and I do not specialize in one area or with any one group of organisms. I like to chase problems, whatever they may be: from the systematic to the chemical. They have all involved algae (seaweeds and photosynthetic protists), pigments, or biochemical evolution. The selected list of references will give some indication of the variety of problems around which my research has centered. Besides the major interests in experimental phycology and pigment systems in marine organisms, I have broad research interests and activity in modelling major evolutionary events, the evolution of the biochemical machinery in algae, prokaryotes and protists over the last 3.5 billion years as the atmosphere and hydrosphere evolved. The current research interests/projects include adaptive carotenoid pigment systems and the xanthophyll cycle in algae, osmoregulation algae under hypersaline conditions extracellular carbohydrates, algal phytohormones, ultra high cell density bioreactors, novel uses for algal materials, roel of surface micro-algae in producing drag reduction, containment of alien invasive seaweeds, the significance and role of oxygen in a changing atmosphere on the evolution of algal biochemical systems, algal natural products and their fate (e.g. in developing abalone shell pigmentation) and function in the environment, physiology of algae at under simulated Precambrian/Archaean conditions and influence on the development of stromatolites.

David Chapman | Research | Publications | Curriculum Vitae

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