Elena Litchman

Elena Litchman is a professor of aquatic ecology at Michigan State University known for her research on the consequences of global environmental change on phytoplankton.

Elena Litchman
Alma materMoscow State University, University of Minnesota
Scientific career
ThesisCompetition and coexistence of phytoplankton under fluctuating light (1997)
Doctoral advisorRobert W. Sterner and David Tilman

Education and career

Litchman received an Honors Diploma in biology from Moscow State University, Russia,[1] and a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Minnesota in 1997.[2] Following graduate work, Litchman held postdoctoral positions at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, the Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology, and Rutgers University.[3][4] From 2003 to 2005, Litchman was a research scientist at Georgia Institute of Technology.[1][4] In 2005, Litchman took a position in the Zoology Department of Michigan State University and the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station.[1] She has been named a MSU Foundation Professor at Michigan State University where she works in the Department of Integrative Biology.[5]

Research

Litchman's Ph.D. research[2] examined the impact of changing light levels on competition in phytoplankton.[6] She introduced the use of trait-based ecology for phytoplankton in papers published in 2007[7] and 2008.[8] Prior to these publications, trait-based ecology had been implemented in terrestrial science and Litchman was the first to apply these ideas to marine research. Key traits in phytoplankton include light, nutrient use, morphology, predation, and temperature, and Litchman has combined these traits to mathematically define phytoplankton community structure.[7][8] Litchman's research has examined the connection between the size of phytoplankton over evolutionary time and nutrient limitation[9] which, in turn, impacts marine food webs under changing climates.[10] Through eco-evolutionary modeling, Litchman's research has shown that in the future warmer oceans will cause phytoplankton to shift towards polar regions.[11][12]

Selected publications
  • Litchman, Elena; Klausmeier, Christopher A.; Schofield, Oscar M.; Falkowski, Paul G. (2007). "The role of functional traits and trade-offs in structuring phytoplankton communities: scaling from cellular to ecosystem level". Ecology Letters. 10 (12): 1170–1181. doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01117.x. ISSN 1461-0248. PMID 17927770.
  • Litchman, Elena; Klausmeier, Christopher A. (2008-10-31). "Trait-Based Community Ecology of Phytoplankton". Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. 39 (1): 615–639. doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.39.110707.173549. ISSN 1543-592X.
  • Klausmeier, Christopher A.; Litchman, Elena; Daufresne, Tanguy; Levin, Simon A. (2004). "Optimal nitrogen-to-phosphorus stoichiometry of phytoplankton". Nature. 429 (6988): 171–174. Bibcode:2004Natur.429..171K. doi:10.1038/nature02454. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 15141209. S2CID 4308845.

Awards

References
  1. "Elena Litchman | Honored Faculty | Michigan State University". msu.edu. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
  2. Litchman, Elena Gennady (1997). Competition and coexistence of phytoplankton under fluctuating light. ISBN 9780591661460. Retrieved 2021-05-15. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  3. "Seminar: Elena Litchman | Carnegie's Department of Global Ecology". dge.carnegiescience.edu. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
  4. "Litchman CV" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-06-14.
  5. "Biologist Litchman Named MSU Foundation Professor | Research at Michigan State University". Retrieved 2021-06-14.
  6. Litchman, Elena (1998-11-01). "Population and community responses of phytoplankton to fluctuating light". Oecologia. 117 (1): 247–257. Bibcode:1998Oecol.117..247L. doi:10.1007/s004420050655. ISSN 1432-1939. PMID 28308494. S2CID 17099101.
  7. Litchman, Elena; Klausmeier, Christopher A.; Schofield, Oscar M.; Falkowski, Paul G. (2007). "The role of functional traits and trade-offs in structuring phytoplankton communities: scaling from cellular to ecosystem level". Ecology Letters. 10 (12): 1170–1181. doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01117.x. ISSN 1461-0248. PMID 17927770.
  8. Litchman, Elena; Klausmeier, Christopher A. (2008). "Trait-Based Community Ecology of Phytoplankton". Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. 39 (1): 615–639. doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.39.110707.173549. ISSN 1543-592X.
  9. Litchman, E.; Klausmeier, C. A.; Yoshiyama, K. (2009-02-24). "Contrasting size evolution in marine and freshwater diatoms". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 106 (8): 2665–2670. Bibcode:2009PNAS..106.2665L. doi:10.1073/pnas.0810891106. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 2650323. PMID 19202058.
  10. "Mighty Diatoms: Global Climate Feedback From Microscopic Algae". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
  11. Thomas, M. K.; Kremer, C. T.; Klausmeier, C. A.; Litchman, E. (2012-11-23). "A Global Pattern of Thermal Adaptation in Marine Phytoplankton". Science. 338 (6110): 1085–1088. Bibcode:2012Sci...338.1085T. doi:10.1126/science.1224836. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 23112294. S2CID 14178409.
  12. "Warmer future oceans could cause phytoplankton to thrive near poles, shrink in tropics". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
  13. "President Obama Names Top U.S. Early Career Scientists and Engineers". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
  14. "Litchman lands prestigious award for excellence in aquatic ecology". MSUToday | Michigan State University. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
  15. "2021 Hutchinson Award Recipient". ASLO. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
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