[CEPCEB_All] SEMINAR: Maggie Sogin Candidate for Assistant Professor in Computational and/or Analytical Metabolomics

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Maggie Sogin

University of California, Merced

Candidate for  Assistant Professor in Computational and/or Analytical
Metabolomics
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*Metabolite interface of the seagrass-microbiome*

*Date:* Thursday , February 19, 2026

*Time: *2:00 -3:00 pm

*Location: *Genomics Auditorium

*Abstract:*

Microorganisms play an essential role in shaping the ecology and evolution
of nearly every form of life on Earth. These microorganisms play diverse
roles within their hosts that contribute to organismal health and
metabolism. In some cases, host-microbe interactions can also influence
global biogeochemical cycles. In my seminar, I will highlight our work
focused on leveraging computational and analytical metabolomic techniques
to explore the role of marine microbes in shaping the chemical ecology of
seagrasses and their microbiomes. Seagrasses are a fully submerged marine
flowering plant that evolved from terrestrial angiosperms on at least three
separate occasions. They are considered a “blue” carbon ecosystem because
they store a significant amount of CO2 in their tissues and soils. In my
seminar, I will first provide insights from our ‘omic observations that
allowed us to show that sucrose is piling up to mM concentrations
underneath seagrass meadows. Specifically, we used a combination of
metagenomic, metatranscriptomic and metabolomic analyses, and in situ
incubation experiments, to show that sucrose persists in Posidonia
oceanica rhizospheres
because aromatic-rich dissolved organic matter (DOM) produced by the
seagrass inhibits microbial metabolism under low oxygen conditions. I will
then outline current research in my lab centered on describing how these
chemical interactions are likely to shift under future levels of stress.
Finally, I will end my seminar by providing an overview of my future
research and educational goals.
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