Dr. Daniel Thornton

Bio

I am interested in marine ecology and biogeochemistry. Primarily, my work is directed towards increasing our understanding of carbon and nitrogen cycling in marine ecosystems. The cycling of carbon and nitrogen in all ecosystems is complex and linked to ecosystem structure and function.

The alteration of nitrogen and carbon cycles by human activity is occurring on local, regional and global scales. Changing land use and the application of fertilizers are two examples of activities that alter carbon and nitrogen cycling. Alterations to carbon and nitrogen cycling on the land effects the ocean as they are connected via rivers and the atmosphere. While many of these alterations lead to direct benefits for society, such as enhanced agricultural food production, there are also costs. Costs in the coastal ocean include harmful algal blooms (HABS), hypoxia, biodiversity loss and the decreased productivity of fisheries. Moreover, human alteration of the carbon and nitrogen cycles is affecting global climate change. There is a pressing need to develop a better understanding of the biogeochemical cycling of both carbon and nitrogen.

It is usually relatively small, numerous organisms that have the greatest effect on biogeochemical cycles. Consequently, my work involves microbial ecology. A better understanding of the microbial ecology of nitrogen and carbon cycling in both pristine and altered marine habitats will enhance our understanding of both biogeochemical cycles and marine ecosystems. The long term goal of this research is develop tools to predict how changes in biogeochemical cycling affect ecosystem structure and function on a variety of temporal and spatial scales.

Research Interests

• Nitrogen cycling in sediments
• Ecology and physiology of microphytobenthos and phytoplankton
• Production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) by microorganisms

Projects

• Nitrogen cycling in estuaries
• Role of microphytobenthos in nitrogen and carbon cycling in coastal ecosystems
• Factors affectng EPS and TEP formation in the coastal ocean
• Biological sources of nitrous oxide in the coastal ocean
• Carbon acquisition by benthic diatoms
• Marine microogranisms as ice nuclei and cloud condensation nuclei

Experience

• Jan. 2004 - present: Assistant Professor, Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University
• 2003: Research Fellow, Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Southern California
• 2000 - 2002: Research Fellow, Ecology Centre, University of Sunderland, UK
• 1996 - 1999: Senior Research Officer, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, UK

Publications

• Thornton D.C.O., Dong L.F., Underwood G.J.C., Nedwell D.B. (2007) Sediment-water nutrient exchange and nitrogen budgets in the Colne estuary. Marine Ecology Progress Series 337: 63-77.
• Thornton D.C.O., Fejes E.M., DiMarco S.F., Clancy K.M (2007) Measurement of acid polysaccharides (APS) in marine and freshwater samples using alcian blue. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods 5: 73-87.
• Patel D., Thake B., Thornton, D.C.O. (2005) Effect of light and turbulent mixing on the growth of Skeletonema costatum (Bacilariophyceae). Marine Biology 146: 633-644.
• Thornton, D. C. O. (2004)Formation of transparent exoploymeric particles (TEP) from macroalgal detritus. Marine Ecology Progress Series 282, 1-12.
• Thornton , D. C. O. (2002). Diatom aggregation in the sea: mechanisms and ecological implications. European Journal of Phycology 37:149-161
• Thornton , D. C. O., Dong, L. F., Underwood, G. J. C. and Nedwell, D. B. (2002). Factors affecting microphytobenthic biomass, species composition and production in the Colne estuary (UK). Aquatic Microbial Ecology 27:285-300
• Dong, L.F., Nedwell, D.B., Underwood, G.J.C., Thornton, D. C. O. and Rusmuna, I. (2002) Nitrous oxide formation in estuaries: the central role of nitrite. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 68:1240-1249
• Thornton , D.C.O. (2002) Individuals, clones or groups? Phytoplankton behaviour and units of selection. Ethology, Ecology and Evolution 14:165-173
• Dong, L. F., Thornton, D. C. O., Underwood, G. J. C. and Nedwell, D. B. (2000). Denitrification in the sediments of the Colne estuary, England . Marine Ecology Progress Series 203: 109-122.
• Dalsgaard, T. (Editor), Nielsen, L. P., Brotas, V., Viaroli, P., Underwood, G., Nedwell, D. B, Sundbäck, K., Rysgaard, S., Miles, A., Bartoli, M., Dong, L. F., Thornton, D. C. O., Ottosen, L. D. M., Castaldelli, G. and Risgaard-Petersen, N. (2000). Protocol handbook for NICE - Nitrogen Cycling in Estuaries: a project under the EU research programme: Marine Science and Technology (MAST III). National Environmental Research Institute, Silkeborg, Denmark. 62pp.
• Thornton , D. C. O., Underwood, G. J. C. and Nedwell, D. B. (1999). Effect of light and emersion period on the exchange of ammonium across the estuarine sediment-water interface. Marine Ecology Progress Series 184: 11-20.
• Thornton , D. C. O., Santillo, D. and Thake, B. (1999). Prediction of sporadic mucilaginous algal blooms in the Northern Adriatic Sea. Marine Pollution Bulletin 38(10): 891-898.
• Thornton , D. C. O. (1999). Phytoplankton mucilage in coastal waters: A dispersal mechanism in a front dominated system? Ethology, Ecology and Evolution 11(2): 179-185.
• Thornton , D. C. O. and Thake, B. (1998). Effect of temperature on the aggregation of Skeletonema costatum (Bacillariophyceae) and the implication for carbon flux in coastal waters Marine Ecology Progress Series 174: 223-237.
• Chiappori, A., Balostro, R., Thake, B., Santillo, D., Thornton, D. and Patel, D., (1995). The Adriatic Sea and coastal resources; a management and pollution control study. In: Coastal Ocean Space Utilization III. Edited by N. D. Croce, S. Connell and R. Abel. pp 331-344. E & FN Spon, Chapman and Hall, London.