Kingston, Sarah - Bowdoin College - Department of Biology

个人简介

I am a molecular ecologist interested in gene flow across species boundaries as well as changing selective pressures associated with climate change. I utilize natural population variation to link genotype and phenotype. I have conducted research on many different taxa, from cetaceans to birds to molluscs. Currently, I am focusing on blue mussels in the Gulf of Maine and their adaptive potential in the face of ocean acidification. As physical and chemical features of the ocean change in response to the changing climate, marine calcifiers face the biochemical and physiological challenge of maintaining calcium carbonate shell structure in a more acidic environment. A key component to understanding organismal response to this multifactorial stressor is linking underlying genetic variation to phenotypic variation in stress response. Our current project aims to take advantage of the genomic gradient across the blue mussel hybrid zone (Mytilus edulis and Mytilus trossulus) in the Gulf of Maine to link genetic variation with variance in calcification rates in response to lower pH, higher temperatures, and reduced food availability. We are employing the power of next generation DNA sequencing techniques to generate highly multilocus genotypes for population genomic analysis and genome-wide association survey. In the context of my Marine Molecular Ecology and Evolution course, students and I investigate the spatial and ecotype population structure in native Littorine snails (Littorina obtusata and L. saxatilis) in the Gulf of Maine, also using next generation DNA sequencing and population genomic analyses. B.A., William and Mary M.S., College of Charleston Ph.D., University of Maryland

研究领域

Electron and proton transfer (ET/PT) are two of the most fundamental processes in chemistry. Proton-coupled ET (PCET) refers to reactions involving the exchange and release of both proton and electron species. These reactions play significant roles in biological processes (e.g. respiration, nitrogen fixation, photosynthesis), organic synthesis (e.g. hydrogen atom transfer), and solar fuel and artificial photosynthesis (e.g. catalysis). Our group is interested in tackling the problem of charge transfer processes using a variety of spectroscopic and computational tools. We are also open to collaborations, especially interdisciplinary research, as we value the unique contributions that each scientist or investigator brings to a problem. Our current project: Photoacids, molecules which increase in acidity upon electronic excitation, are ideal candidates for controlled PT studies. They have been investigated as possible proton generators and fluorescence pH/chemical probes for biological study. Application of green fluorescent proteins (GFP) for fluorescence imaging and chemical sensing have revolutionized the field of molecular cellular biology. The chromophore of GFP is a photoacid whose remarkable quantum yield is a result of excited state stabilization by the protein matrix. Thus, there is considerable interest in understanding both the PT and photodecay processes of photoacids in a lipid/protein framework. We focus on examining inter- and intramolecular PT mechanisms of photoacids with multi-proton binding sites in different solvent and increasing complex environments, including reverse micelles and proteins. Fluorescence spectroscopy is an extremely sensitive analytical technique that can probe both excited state dynamics and changes in the environment. We will use a combination of steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy and time-correlated single photon counting to investigate PT.

近期论文

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Kingston, S.E., Parchman, T.P., Gompert, Z., Buerkle, C.A., and Braun, M.J. 2017. Heterogeneity and concordance in locus-specific differentiation and introgression between species of towhees. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 10.1111/jeb/13033. Kingston S.E., Navarro-Sigüenza A.G., García-Trejo E.A., Vázquez H., Fagan W.F., Braun M.J. 2014. Genetic differentiation and habitat connectivity across towhee hybrid zones in Mexico. Evolutionary Ecology. 28(2): 277-297. 10.1007/s10682-013-9673-8. Kingston S.E., Jernigan R.W., Fagan W.F., Braun D., Braun M.J. 2012. Genomic variation in cline shape across a hybrid zone. Ecology and Evolution 2 (11): 2737–2748. 10.1002/ece1003.1375. Kingston S.E., Adams L.D., Rosel P.E. 2009. Testing mitochondrial sequences and anonymous nuclear markers for phylogeny reconstruction in a rapidly radiating group: molecular systematics of the Delphininae (Cetacea: Odontoceti: Delphinidae). BMC Evolutionary Biology 9:245. *highly accessed* Kingston S.E., Rosel P.E. 2004. Genetic differentiation among recently diverged Delphinid taxa determined using AFLP markers. Journal of Heredity 95: 1-10.