Christina Kellogg, Ph.D.
I am an environmental microbiologist that uses molecular techniques and microbiology methods to study marine microbes, particularly the microbial ecology of tropical and deep-sea corals.
Dr. Kellogg joined the U.S. Geological Survey as a Mendenhall Fellow, characterizing the microbial communities in aerosolized African desert dust, beach sediments, seagrass beds and coral reefs. Currently, she leads the Coral Microbial Ecology Laboratory at the U.S. Geological Survey, studying the microbiomes and environments of tropical and cold-water corals.
Dr. Kellogg is active in shaping the direction of microbiome research in the U.S., having represented the Department of Interior (DOI) on the Federal Microbiome Interagency Working Group, the National Microbiome Data Collaborative, and serving as Subject Matter Expert to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy rollout of the National Microbiome Initiative in 2016.
Professional Experience
2003 – Present: Research principal investigator and head of Coral Microbial Ecology Lab, USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
2001 – 2003: USGS Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow, USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
1998 – 2001: Postdoctoral Fellow, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC
1991 – 1998: Research Assistant, Department of Marine Science, University of South Florida
Education and Certifications
PhD: 1998, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL
BS: 1991, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
Science and Products
Cold-Water Coral Microbiomes (Lophelia pertusa) from Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean: Raw Data
Cold-water coral microbiomes (Paramuricea placomus) from Baltimore Canyon: raw and processed data
Microbial and environmental dataset from Crocker Reef, Florida Keys, 2014-2015
Assessing the water quality impacts of two Category-5 hurricanes on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
Physicochemical controls on zones of higher coral stress where Black Band Disease occurs at Mākua Reef, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi
Microbiomes of stony and soft deep-sea corals share rare core bacteria
Microbial associations of four species of algal symbiont-bearing Foraminifers from the Florida Reef Tract, USA
Stability of temperate coral Astrangia poculata microbiome is reflected across different sequencing methodologies
Comparison of microbiomes of cold-water corals Primnoa pacifica and Primnoa resedaeformis, with possible link between microbiome composition and host genotype
Deepwater Program: Lophelia II, continuing ecological research on deep-sea corals and deep-reef habitats in the Gulf of Mexico
Canyons microbiology studies
USGS microbiome research
Predation by Acanthurus leucopareius on black-band disease in Kauai, Hawaii
Biogeographic comparison of Lophelia-associated bacterial communities in the Western Atlantic reveals conserved core microbiome
Bacterial community diversity of the deep-sea octocoral Paramuricea placomus
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
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Cold-Water Coral Microbiomes (Lophelia pertusa) from Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean: Raw Data
The files in this data release are the raw DNA sequence files referenced in the submitted journal article by Christina A. Kellogg, Dawn B. Goldsmith and Michael A. Gray entitled "Biogeographic comparison of Lophelia-associated bacterial communities in the western Atlantic reveals conserved core microbiome." They represent a 16S rRNA gene amplicon survey of the coral's microbiomes completed using RCold-water coral microbiomes (Paramuricea placomus) from Baltimore Canyon: raw and processed data
The files in this data release are the raw and processed DNA sequence files referenced in the submitted journal article by Kellogg et. al. titled "Bacterial Community Diversity of the Deep-Sea Octocoral Paramuricea placomus." They represent a 16S rRNA gene amplicon survey of the coral's microbiome completed using Roche 454 pyrosequencing with titanium reagents. Baltimore Canyon is in the AtlanticMicrobial and environmental dataset from Crocker Reef, Florida Keys, 2014-2015
Crocker Reef was the site of an integrated reefscape characterization effort focused on calcification and related biogeochemical processes as part of the USGS Coral Reef Ecosystem Study (CREST) project. This effort included two intensive seasonal sampling trips to capture summer (July 8 to 17, 2014) and winter (January 29 to February 5, 2015) conditions. This data release represents water column m - Multimedia
- Publications
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Assessing the water quality impacts of two Category-5 hurricanes on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
Managing waterborne and water-related diseases is one of the most critical factors in the aftermath of hurricane-induced natural disasters. The goal of the study was to identify water-quality impairments in order to set the priorities for post-hurricane relief and to guide future decisions on disaster preparation and relief administration. Field investigations were carried out on St. Thomas, U.S.AuthorsSunny Jiang, Muyue Han, Srikiran Chandrasekaran, Yingcong Fang, Christina A. KelloggPhysicochemical controls on zones of higher coral stress where Black Band Disease occurs at Mākua Reef, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi
Pervasive and sustained coral diseases contribute to the systemic degradation of reef ecosystems, however, to date an understanding of the physicochemical controls on a coral disease event is still largely lacking. Water circulation and residence times and submarine groundwater discharge all determine the degree to which reef organisms are exposed to the variable chemistry of overlying waters; undAuthorsFerdinand Oberle, Curt D. Storlazzi, Olivia Cheriton, Renee K. Takesue, Daniel J. Hoover, Joshua B. Logan, Christina M. Runyon, Christina A. Kellogg, Cordell Johnson, Peter W. SwarzenskiMicrobiomes of stony and soft deep-sea corals share rare core bacteria
Background: Numerous studies have shown that bacteria form stable associations with host corals and have focused on identifying conserved “core microbiomes” of bacterial associates inferred to be serving key roles in the coral holobiont. Because studies tend to focus on only stony corals (order Scleractinia) or soft corals (order Alcyonacea), it is currently unknown if there are conserved bacteriaAuthorsChristina A. KelloggMicrobial associations of four species of algal symbiont-bearing Foraminifers from the Florida Reef Tract, USA
While microbiome research is a rapidly expanding field of study, relatively little is known of the microbiomes associated with Foraminifera. This preliminary study investigated microbes associated with four species of Foraminifera, representing two taxonomic orders, which host three kinds of algal endosymbionts. A major objective was to explore potential influences on the microbiome composition, iAuthorsMakenna M. Martin, Christina A. Kellogg, Pamela HallockStability of temperate coral Astrangia poculata microbiome is reflected across different sequencing methodologies
The microbiome of the temperate coral Astrangia poculata was first described in 2017 using next-generation Illumina sequencing to examine the coral’s bacterial and archaeal associates across seasons and among hosts of differing symbiotic status. To assess the impact of methodology on the detectable diversity of the coral’s microbiome, we obtained near full-length Sanger sequences from clone librarAuthorsDawn B. Goldsmith, Zoe A. Pratte, Christina A. Kellogg, Sara E. Snader, Koty H. SharpComparison of microbiomes of cold-water corals Primnoa pacifica and Primnoa resedaeformis, with possible link between microbiome composition and host genotype
Cold-water corals provide critical habitats for a multitude of marine species, but are understudied relative to tropical corals. Primnoa pacifica is a cold-water coral prevalent throughout Alaskan waters, while another species in the genus, Primnoa resedaeformis, is widely distributed in the Atlantic Ocean. This study examined the V4-V5 region of the 16S rRNA gene after amplifying and pyrosequenciAuthorsDawn B. Goldsmith, Christina A. Kellogg, Cheryl L. Morrison, Michael A. Gray, Robert P. Stone, Rhian G. Waller, Sandra D. Brooke, Steve W. RossDeepwater Program: Lophelia II, continuing ecological research on deep-sea corals and deep-reef habitats in the Gulf of Mexico
The deep sea is a rich environment composed of diverse habitat types. While deep-sea coral habitats have been discovered within each ocean basin, knowledge about the ecology of these habitats and associated inhabitants continues to grow. This report presents information and results from the Lophelia II project that examined deep-sea coral habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. The Lophelia II project focAuthorsAmanda W.J. Demopoulos, Steve W. Ross, Christina A. Kellogg, Cheryl L. Morrison, Martha S. Nizinski, Nancy G. Prouty, Jill R. Bourque, Julie P. Galkiewicz, Michael A. Gray, Marcus J. Springmann, D. Katharine Coykendall, Andrew Miller, Mike Rhode, Andrea Quattrini, Cheryl L. Ames, Sandra D. Brooke, Jennifer P. McClain-Counts, E. Brendan Roark, Noreen A. Buster, Ryan M. Phillips, Janessy FrometaCanyons microbiology studies
Off the eastern coast of the United States, several deep canyons cut through the continental shelf, acting like funnels to move sediment from the shelf out to the deep seafloor. Exposed rock outcrops and ledges along the walls of these canyons provide important habitat for deepsea corals and sponges. Although a few scientific expeditions have visited these canyons in the 1970s (Hecker and BlechschAuthorsChristina A. Kellogg, Stephanie N. LawlerUSGS microbiome research
Microbiomes are the communities of microorganisms (for example, bacteria, viruses, and fungi) that live on, in, and around people, plants, animals, soil, water, and the atmosphere. Microbiomes are active in the functioning of diverse ecosystems, for instance, by influencing water quality, nutrient acquisition and stress tolerance in plants, and stability of soil and aquatic environments. MicrobioAuthorsChristina A. Kellogg, M. Camille HopkinsPredation by Acanthurus leucopareius on black-band disease in Kauai, Hawaii
No abstract available.AuthorsChristina A. Kellogg, Amy West, Christina M. RunyonBiogeographic comparison of Lophelia-associated bacterial communities in the Western Atlantic reveals conserved core microbiome
Over the last decade, publications on deep-sea corals have tripled. Most attention has been paid to Lophelia pertusa, a globally distributed scleractinian coral that creates critical three-dimensional habitat in the deep ocean. The bacterial community associated with L. pertusa has been previously described by a number of studies at sites in the Mediterranean Sea, Norwegian fjords, off Great BritaAuthorsChristina A. Kellogg, Dawn B. Goldsmith, Michael A. GrayBacterial community diversity of the deep-sea octocoral Paramuricea placomus
Compared to tropical corals, much less is known about deep-sea coral biology and ecology. Although the microbial communities of some deep-sea corals have been described, this is the first study to characterize the bacterial community associated with the deep-sea octocoral, Paramuricea placomus. Samples from five colonies of P. placomus were collected from Baltimore Canyon (379–382 m depth) in theAuthorsChristina A. Kellogg, Steve W. Ross, Sandra D. Brooke - News
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