Publications

Environmental Science & Technology · 2026

A diffusion-driven CH₄–O₂ boundary structures methane oxidation and carbon transformation in upland soils

AB Chase, JRRN Jayarathne, M Haghighatjoo, NJ Tabor, KM Smits

This study uses a controlled natural gas release to show that methane attenuation in aerated upland soils is governed by a spatially constrained CH₄–O₂ boundary. Within this overlap zone, gas diffusion, oxygen availability, carbonate restructuring, and methanotroph activity interact to shape methane oxidation and carbon transformation.

soil biogeochemistry methane oxidation stable isotopes environmental microbiology climate change science

Journal → PDF

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) · 2025

Diversification of diterpene biosynthesis occurred early in octocoral evolution

I Burkhardt, HK Bone, NE Grayson, HA Leucke, J Gutleben, PR Jensen, AM Quattrini, AB Chase, BS Moore

This study links comparative genomics, evolutionary history, and specialized metabolism to show how ancient terpene cyclase gene lineages contributed to chemical diversity in octocorals. First publication from our NOAA grant!

terpene cyclases evolution metabolomics

Journal → PDF

The ISME Journal · 2023

Biogeographic patterns of biosynthetic potential and specialized metabolites in marine sediments

AB Chase, A Bogdanov, AM Demko, PR Jensen

This study integrates metagenomics and metabolomics to show that local-scale microbial community patterns in Moorea marine sediments are linked to biosynthetic potential and site-specific chemical diversity.

chemical ecology environmental metabolomics biotic interactions

Journal → PDF

Ecology Letters · 2023

Investigating the eco-evolutionary response of microbiomes to environmental change

JBH Martiny, AC Martiny, EL Brodie, AB Chase, A Rodriguez-Verdugo, KK Treseder, SD Allison

This conceptual paper shows why microbial evolution should be included in models of biogeochemical response to environmental change.

eco-evolutionary feedbacks rapid evolution global change

Journal → PDF

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) · 2021

Adaptive differentiation and rapid evolution of a soil bacterium along a climate gradient

AB Chase, C Weihe, JBH Martiny

Uses a large-scale reciprocal transplant experiment to examine how bacterial populations respond evolutionarily across environmental gradients.

bacterial evolution climate gradient field experiment

Journal → PDF

​chase lab publications

A diffusion-driven CH4–O2 boundary structures methane oxidation and carbon transformation in upland soils

Diversification of diterpene biosynthesis occurred early in octocoral evolution

Biogeographic patterns of biosynthetic potential and specialized metabolites in marine sediments

Investigating the eco-evolutionary response of microbiomes to environmental change

Adaptive differentiation and rapid evolution of a soil bacterium along a climate gradient

Alexander B. Chase

2026

Experimental evolution reveals contrasting adaptive landscapes in lab and field environments

A diffusion-driven CH4–O2 boundary structures methane oxidation and carbon transformation in upland soils

Using meta-omics to unravel biogeochemical changes from cell to planetary scales

Multi-omic assessment of microbial communities and their polyketide biosynthetic potential across abyssal sediments

2025

Diversification of diterpene biosynthesis occurred early in octocoral evolution

Investigating bacterial evolution in nature with metagenomics

Metagenomic identification of brominated indole biosynthetic machinery from cyanobacteria

2024

Pattern-based genome mining guides discovery of the antibiotic indanopyrrole A from a marine streptomycete

Substrate complexity buffers negative interactions in a synthetic community of leaf litter degraders

Small molecule in situ resin capture provides a compound first approach to natural product discovery

Microbial evolution - an under-appreciated driver of soil carbon cycling

MAR4 Streptomyces: a unique resource for natural product discovery

2023

Metagenomic data reveals type I polyketide synthase distributions across biomes

Biogeographic patterns of biosynthetic potential and specialized metabolites in marine sediments

Investigating the eco-evolutionary response of microbiomes to environmental change

How do soil microbes shape ecosystem biogeochemistry in the context of global change?

2022

The structure and candidate biosynthetic gene cluster of a manumycin-type metabolite from S. pacifica

Differential response of bacterial microdiversity to simulated global change

2021

Vertical inheritance facilitates interspecies diversification in biosynthetic gene clusters and specialized metabolites

Adaptive differentiation and rapid evolution of a soil bacterium along a climate gradient

Grincamycins P−T: rearranged angucyclines from the marine sediment-derived Streptomyces sp. CNZ-748 inhibit cell lines of the rare cancer pseudomyxoma peritonei

High-fiber, whole-food dietary intervention alters the human gut microbiome but not fecal short-chain fatty acids

A community resource for paired genomic and metabolomic data mining

2020

Fiber Force: a fiber diet intervention in an advanced CURE course

2019

Maintenance of sympatric and allopatric populations in free-living terrestrial bacteria

Experimental evidence that stochasticity contributes to bacterial composition and functioning in a decomposer community

Cystic fibrosis-associated Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strain-specific adaptations and responses to pH

2018

Emergence of soil bacterial ecotypes along a climate gradient

The importance of resolving biogeographic patterns of microbial microdiversity

2017

Microdiversity of an abundant terrestrial bacterium encompasses extensive variation in ecologically relevant traits

Microbial Biodiversity

2016

Evidence for ecological flexibility in the cosmopolitan genus Curtobacterium

The Microbial Olympics 2016

Research

Approaches

Lab & SMU

Support

chase lab publications

A diffusion-driven CH₄–O₂ boundary structures methane oxidation and carbon transformation in upland soils