Sign in

Britt Abrahamson

@brittabrahamson.bsky.social
210 followers 319 following 68 posts

Postdoctoral Fellow | Zakem Lab | Carnegie Science Microbial Ecophysiology (Nitrification & Methanogenesis) | Surf, hike, concerts, read

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
BejaLabTechnion @bejalab.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Widespread phages exhibit depth-structured infection coupled with ammonia oxidation www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
183
Britt Abrahamson @brittabrahamson.bsky.social · 14h
Way to go @emilruff.bsky.social!
000
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Emil Ruff @emilruff.bsky.social · 18h
Chlorobi paper hattrick! Chlorobi use broad metabolic strategies to support stable blooms www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Bloom-forming bacteria heavily invest in anti-phage defense www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... A 3000-year record of a temperate estuary www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
biorxiv.org
Anoxygenic phototrophic Chlorobi use broad metabolic and resource acquisition strategies to support stable near-clonal blooms
Anoxygenic phototrophic green sulfur bacteria (GSB; Chlorobiia) are important primary producers in anoxic and sulfidic environments, whose significance in aquatic ecosystems will expand with coastal deoxygenation. Here, we employed a uniquely comprehensive analytical approach to investigate the formation, maintenance, and collapse of a GSB bloom. We combined multi-omics—V4V5 and synthetic long read 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, metagenomics, and metaproteomics—with total and GSB-specific cell counts, biogeochemical measurements, and isotopic analysis. The GSB bloom exceeded 109 cells ml-1, among the highest environmental cell densities reported to date, with up to 96 % of the bloom consisting of a single strain-level Prosthecochloris lineage (GSB-TRL01). Extreme sulfide concentrations (> 17 mM) coincided with peaking cell density and a shift in isotopic composition. Bloom persistence is supported by tightly coupled sulfur cycling, high rates of nitrogen fixation, mechanisms to tolerate oxidative stress and maintain redox balance, and nutrient acquisition through outer membrane transport systems. A shift in sulfur oxidizing enzymes towards enzymes with higher sulfide affinity proceeded bloom demise. Prosthecochloris GSB-TRL01 differs from closely related lineages in several outer membrane transport systems, including porins to transport phosphate and tonB-dependent transporters. Collectively, these findings identify physiological and metabolic strategies that may enable near-clonal Prosthecochloris populations to attain extraordinary biomass while coupling the sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen cycles in coastal euxinic environments. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. U.S. National Science Foundation, https://ror.org/021nxhr62, 2205993, 2426305, BIO220128 Simons Foundation, 824763
198
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Javier del Campo @fonamental.bsky.social · 16h
Stability in flexibility: Shifting alliances stabilize the symbioses of marine animals over 150 million years #symbiosis #microbiome www.science.org/doi/full/10....
1178
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
DEEMteam_Orsay @deemteam.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
How do redox conditions in an Asgard archaea-rich environment determine their vertical distribution? Find out in our latest paper about the amazing Catherine crater lake microbial mat: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
22911
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Taylor priest @taylorpriest.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Our new preprint is out! We show that genomically discrete and ecologically cohesive subspecies are a common feature in the global ocean microbiome, and represent a fundamental level at which ecological and evolutionary forces act to shape microbial diversity www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Genomically and ecologically cohesive subspecies as biologically meaningful units in the global ocean microbiome
Microbial diversity is organised into operationally defined species. However, it remains unclear whether these, or finer-scale groups represent biologically meaningful units in natural communities. He...
0228
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
A streamlined and abundant Nitrosopumilus population retains vitamin biosynthesis under high purifying selection in the Baltic Sea www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #jcampubs
032
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Reinier Egas @raegas.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Great work by @georginajoyce.bsky.social @sjmcilroy.bsky.social and team. The metabolic flexibility/ease of HGT in Methanoperedenaceae keeps us on our toes :). Arsenate reduction coupled to anaerobic oxidation of methane by members of the Methanoperedenaceae academic.oup.com/ismej/articl...
academic.oup.com
Arsenate reduction coupled to anaerobic oxidation of methane by members of the Methanoperedenaceae
Abstract. Anaerobic methanotrophic ‘Candidatus Methanoperedenaceae’ play a key role in mitigating methane emissions from freshwater sediments. Members of t
084
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Nature Microbiology @natmicrobiol.nature.com · 02/10/2026
Out Now! Synergy between Enterobacteriaceae and diet mediates competition between dominant Bacteroidales in the human gut #MicroSky
go.nature.com
Synergy between Enterobacteriaceae and diet mediates competition between dominant Bacteroidales in the human gut
Nature Microbiology, Published online: 02 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02500-6Multiomic experiments using defined and native gut communities reveal that complex dietary glycans mediate the dominance of Prevotellaceae in non-industrialized gut metagenomes through signalling-mediated cross-feeding with Enterobacteriaceae.
0209
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Archaea Biology Vienna @archaea-vienna.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Congrats to Dimitri and all co-authors on their new publication! Common Nitrification Inhibitors Exhibit Distinct Mechanisms on the Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaeon Nitrososphaera viennensis A great and in-depth look at SNIs and AOA! @dimdalk.bsky.social #archaea #omics doi.org/10.1021/acs....
1118
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Ákos T Kovács @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Sarahi explains their work on microbial diversity in enrichment pure cultures - the value of community-based cultivation to discover different ecological strategies, autotrophy for amino acids and vitamins See their work in @commsbio.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s42... #MibiNet
nature.com
Microbial model communities exhibit widespread metabolic interdependencies - Communications Biology
Microbial model communities bridge the gap between pure culture and environmental studies, revealing widespread metabolic interdependencies that shape how natural microbial groups thrive and interact ...
064
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
CAL FIRE @calfire.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
What helps a giant sequoia survive wildfire? Researchers studied giant sequoias across areas that had experienced different forest management treatments. 📰 Read the news story: mynews4.com/news/local/p... 🔎 Read the full research report: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
mynews4.com
Prescribed burns, fuel reduction key to giant sequoia survival rates, UNR researchers find
Back in 2020, the devasting castle fire swept through california... Killing hundreds of mature, giant sequoias in its path.The blaze.... Causing experts from un
093
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Javier del Campo @fonamental.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A genomic catalog of Earth’s bacterial and archaeal symbionts #symbiosis www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
A genomic catalog of Earth’s bacterial and archaeal symbionts - Nature Biotechnology
Symbiotic relationships of microorganisms are predicted and cataloged with a machine learning tool.
03516
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
JL Weissman @jlw-ecoevo.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Two weeks left to apply for these postoc positions! We seek two postdocs interested in 1) building trait prediction models capable of resolving complex microbial traits from genomes and metagenomes, and/or (2) building mathematical models of microbial community dynamics in the human microbiome.
0514
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Evgenii Protasov @evgenii-protasov.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Niche specialization and prevalence of comammox Nitrospira in the alkaline sediments of thermokarst lakes on the Tibetan Plateau #microbiology #comammox #Tibet #MicroSky @natcomms.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Niche specialization and prevalence of comammox Nitrospira in the alkaline sediments of thermokarst lakes on the Tibetan Plateau - Nature Communications
Researchers reveal that comammox Nitrospira become dominant nitrifiers in alkaline thermokarst lakes on the Tibetan Plateau and uncover their ecological adaptations to extreme saline-alkaline environm...
042
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Environmental history can counteract nutrient quality in shaping the evolution of bacterial growth rates www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #jcampubs
061
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Hypoxia and acidification antagonistically suppress nitrification but enhance its N2O production in coastal waters www.science.org/doi/full/10.... #jcampubs 🌊
science.org
Hypoxia and acidification antagonistically suppress nitrification but enhance its N2O production in coastal waters
The concurrent intensification of hypoxia and acidification poses a growing threat to estuarine-coastal ecosystems globally, yet their interactive impacts on nitrification, a key process in the nitrog...
063
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Noelle Held @proteocean.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
We are still looking for a postdoc to work on molecular underpinnings of nitrogen fixation in the South Pacific, with potential to inform approaches to mCDR. Please share! proteoceanlab.github.io/assets/img/2...
proteoceanlab.github.io
0911
Britt Abrahamson @brittabrahamson.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Single-cell-resolved genome atlas of prokaryoplankton inhabiting the ocean’s interior | @cellpress.bsky.social doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
000
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Cryptic Biogeochemical Cycles in Methanic Marine Sediments www.annualreviews.org/content/jour... #jcampubs
annualreviews.org
Cryptic Biogeochemical Cycles in Methanic Marine Sediments
Marine sediment biogeochemistry has long been interpreted through the framework of vertical redox zonation, in which organic matter remineralization proceeds through a thermodynamically ordered sequen...
033
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Evgenii Protasov @evgenii-protasov.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
When genus deserves to be a family 🦠🔬 Recent phylogenomic analyses showed that the genus Methanobrevibacter is severely underclassified. We propose reclassifying it into a family, Methanobrevibacteraceae consisting of 11 genera. @microbiologysociety.org #MicroSky #Archaea doi.org/10.1099/ijse...
43312
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Microbial eco-evolutionary dynamics of decomposition and dormancy www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #jcampubs
041
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
JL Weissman @jlw-ecoevo.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
My lab is hiring two(!) postdocs interested in (1) building trait prediction models capable of resolving complex microbial traits from genomes and metagenomes, and/or (2) building mathematical models of microbial community dynamics www.microbialgamut.com/mGAMUT_postd...
microbialgamut.com
23644
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Chuliang Song @clsong.com · 10/09/2026
A wonderful review by Stefano on 100 years of Lotka–Volterra models. Don’t miss the incredibly detailed Supplement, truly the “War and Peace” of LV models. I really wish it had existed when I was a grad student! doi.org/10.1146/annu...
doi.org
One Hundred Years of Lotka–Volterra Models
Over the past century, the generalized Lotka–Volterra (GLV) model has grown from a mathematical curiosity to a cornerstone of theoretical ecology. Here we celebrate the enduring legacy of Lotka and Vo...
08437
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Xin Sun @xinsun-putiger.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Check out our new paper! 🦠🌊We use theoretical modeling and metagenomics to explore different "lifestyles" among marine denitrifiers, major drivers of nitrogen loss. Our results suggest that increasing organic matter does not necessarily promote copiotrophs! academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...
academic.oup.com
Lifestyle Differentiation Among Marine Denitrifying Microorganisms
Abstract. Microorganisms carrying out denitrification in marine anoxic zones drive bioavailable nitrogen loss. Sequencing datasets have demonstrated the mo
051
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Alternative genetic codes in bacteria and archaea identified with a fast k-mer–based algorithm www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1... #jcampubs
pnas.org
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
0159
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Paul Carini @uncultured.carinilab.com · 08/09/2026
Zhiwwei gave an excellent talk in our ISME session. They demonstrated inhibitory substances (distinct from ROS) in solid solid media are generated during autoclaving but can be washed out. Solid media is not inert!
051
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Brett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Eukaryotic-like microtubules and dynamic instability of Asgard archaeal tubulins
Asgard archaeal mini microtubules suggest an archaeal origin of eukaryotic microtubules.
03518
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Overcoming gelling agent-derived inhibitory factors enables the cultivation of fastidious nitrifiers on solid media academic.oup.com/ismecommun/a... #jcampubs
053
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Kaçar Lab at UW-Madison @kacarlab.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Amazing! Latest spotlight in @cp-trendsbiochem.bsky.social highlights our lab's recent work on the origins of Mo/W!!! A first for the lab, congrats, Aya and everyone! 🎉 www.cell.com/trends/bioch... Link for the original paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
cell.com
A phylogenomic analysis of ancient transition metal biochemistry
Despite seemingly low levels of molybdenum (Mo)/tungsten (W) in the Earth’s ancient oceans, these metals play central roles in driving modern biogeochemical cycles. Klos et al. used phylogenomic appro...
0115
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Xin Sun @xinsun-putiger.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
New study! I was excited to join an amazing group of nitrogen cycling experts to examine how our understanding of the global nitrogen budget has evolved and to explore the imbalances among different ecosystems. I am humbled to be part of this fun collaboration! www.nature.com/articles/s43...
nature.com
Fluxes and imbalances in the modern global nitrogen cycle - Nature Reviews Earth & Environment
Synthetic fertilizer use has perturbed the global nitrogen cycle by increasing reactive nitrogen inputs to terrestrial systems. This Review synthesizes estimates of global nitrogen pools and fluxes si...
052
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cluster of Excellence 'MicroPlanet' @microbesplanet.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
New Science Advances study led by @bettinaglasl.bsky.social, @kathikitzinger.bsky.social, @michiwagner4.bsky.social @cemess.bsky.social @univie.ac.at shows ammonia-oxidizing archaea feed on and produce amino acids, communicating with their sponge hosts via mTOR. Link👇 @fwf-at.bsky.social
173
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Fluxes and imbalances in the modern global nitrogen cycle www.nature.com/articles/s43... #jcampubs 🌊
nature.com
Fluxes and imbalances in the modern global nitrogen cycle - Nature Reviews Earth & Environment
Synthetic fertilizer use has perturbed the global nitrogen cycle by increasing reactive nitrogen inputs to terrestrial systems. This Review synthesizes estimates of global nitrogen pools and fluxes si...
0104
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
A global genomic survey of prokaryotic carbon fixation reveals an oxygen-tolerant rTCA cycle in the surface ocean www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #jcampubs 🌊
043
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
DeepKOALA: a scalable deep learning framework for KEGG Orthology assignment academic.oup.com/bib/article/... #jcampubs
academic.oup.com
DeepKOALA: a scalable deep learning framework for KEGG Orthology assignment
Abstract. The KEGG Orthology (KO) system links DNA and protein sequences to biological functions and pathways, providing a curated, fundamental, and consis
0259
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Structural basis for catalytic and inhibitory divergence between archaeal and bacterial ammonia monooxygenases www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #jcampubs
053
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Process‐Specific Effects of Sulfide on Nitrogen Cycling in Marine Oxygen Minimum Zones agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/... #jcampubs 🌊
052
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Axel Visel @axelvisel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Giant virus evolution unfolding in real time 🦠🔬👀 Analyzing 20 years of metagenomic data from Lake Mendota Cool work by @jgi.doe.gov postdoc Yumary Vasquez. Also involved: @miferg.bsky.social @robinrohwer.bsky.social @quendi.bsky.social @fmschu.bsky.social & others jgi.doe.gov/user-science...
jgi.doe.gov
A Broader Sense of Evolution Over Time | Joint Genome Institute
Analyzing how giant viruses—and interns—respond to environmental change.
172
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
MetaCAT enables reconstruction of high-quality microbial genomes and their association with host traits from metagenomic data www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubs
nature.com
MetaCAT enables reconstruction of high-quality microbial genomes and their association with host traits from metagenomic data - Nature Microbiology
MetaCAT is a computational framework to assess host–microbiome interaction via a combination of high-accuracy and efficient microbial genome reconstruction and metagenome-wide association studies with...
0119
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Rethinking the origin of life at seafloor hydrothermal vents www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... #jcampubs
pnas.org
Rethinking the origin of life at seafloor hydrothermal vents | PNAS
Alkaline vents have dominated a class of hypotheses for the origins of life since their discovery a quarter of century ago, but advances in underst...
0175
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Axel Visel @axelvisel.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
A Global Catalog of Microbial Symbionts 🌍🦠🧬🫨 New resource from @jgi.doe.gov, led by @astrogenomics.bsky.social and @fmschu.bsky.social with contributions by @emileyeloe-fadrosh.bsky.social @miferg.bsky.social and many more 🔓 www.nature.com/articles/s41... @biosci.lbl.gov @berkeleylab.lbl.gov
nature.com
A genomic catalog of Earth’s bacterial and archaeal symbionts - Nature Biotechnology
Symbiotic relationships of microorganisms are predicted and cataloged with a machine learning tool.
03217
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Karthik Anantharaman @karthik-a.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Our latest review paper on deep sea viruses is now live in @annualreviews.bsky.social! This comprehensive review brings together why viruses are essential players not just in ecology, but in evolution and planetary-scale biogeochemistry. www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
annualreviews.org
Decoding the Deep: The Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Deep-Sea Viruses
Viruses dominate the deep-ocean biosphere (>200-m depth) yet remain profoundly understudied. As the most abundant biological entities on Earth, they govern the geochemistry, evolution, and ecology ...
02311
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Taylor priest @taylorpriest.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
🚨Interested in methane cycling or carbon flow in sediments? In our new paper, we establish a link between... polysaccharide degradation 🔗fermentation🔗methanogenesis🔗methane oxidation... In anoxic lake sediments academic.oup.com/ismecommun/a... Congrats to @bledinadede.bsky.social for leading this
academic.oup.com
Active microbial communities and their extrachromosomal elements link organic matter degradation to methane cycling in anoxic sediments
Abstract. Anaerobic carbon transformation in freshwater sediments drives substantial methane emissions globally, yet the microbial taxa linking complex car
0133
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
PriME - Principles of Microbial Ecosystems @primecollaboration.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Exciting new work from Andi Sichert and several other PriME members, now published in Nature! 🌊🦠 The study reveals how specialized #marinebacteria work together to break down complex algal polysaccharides, with important implications for ocean #carboncycling 👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Synergistic degradation of fucoidans in the ocean - Nature
Efficient degradation of fucoidans depends on complementary bacterial guilds that cooperatively break backbone and side-chain sugars, revealing a conserved, globally relevant mechanism that shapes mar...
041
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Single-cell-resolved frequency and modes of phage interactions with prokaryoplankton in the tropical surface ocean www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #jcampubs 🌊
032
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Multiheme selenoenzyme essential for elemental sulfur respiration www.science.org/doi/full/10.... #jcampubs
science.org
Multiheme selenoenzyme essential for elemental sulfur respiration
Elemental sulfur reduction is a key process in anaerobic ecosystems and the global sulfur cycle. Although elemental sulfur serves as a terminal electron acceptor in microbial respiration, the molecula...
0138
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Alvaro Sanchez @asanchezlab.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
New preprint from the lab: The Latent Simplicity of Microbial Ecological Interactions www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... We're excited about this one. We find that high-order microbial interactions often obey simple linear laws making microbial communities far more predictable than one might expect
37032
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Martino @cameronmartino.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
New addition to the toolbox for multi-omics link.springer.com/article/10.1... in @molsystbiol.org available in python github.com/biocore/geme... and R microbiome.github.io/mia/referenc...
link.springer.com
Joint-RPCA: domain-aware multi-omics integration for systems microbiology - Molecular Systems Biology
Integrating multi-omics data is essential for microbiome research, as microbial communities are shaped by and respond to interdependent processes, including taxonomic composition, metabolite productio...
042
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Nature Microbiology @natmicrobiol.nature.com · 13/08/2026
Out Now! Genomic catalogue of giant viruses reveals expanded diversity and functional potential #MicroSky
go.nature.com
Genomic catalogue of giant viruses reveals expanded diversity and functional potential
Nature Microbiology, Published online: 13 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02435-yThis curated genome-resolved, metagenomic resource expands the known diversity of Nucleocytoviricota and Mirusviricota lineages.
0165
Reposted by Britt Abrahamson
Cameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Oxygen production as an electron overflow pathway in ammonia-oxidizing archaea www.science.org/doi/full/10.... #jcampubs
science.org
Oxygen production as an electron overflow pathway in ammonia-oxidizing archaea
Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are widespread in nature and contribute to global carbon and nitrogen cycling. Although their energy production is an aerobic process, AOA occur in environments of low ...
053