Assistant Research Professor

Education

• BS 1991 - Biology and University Honors Program, Washington State University.
• Ph.D. 1997 -  Genetics Program and Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University.

Using a variety of approaches (genomics, molecular biology, microbial oceanography, and traditional microbiology), research in the Rappé Lab focuses on the diversity, evolutionary history, ecology, and physiology of microorganisms that inhabit coastal and open ocean seawater, corals and coral reef environments, and the deep subsurface biosphere.

Selected Recent Publications

Giovannoni, S. J., D. H. Hayakawa, U. Stingl, H. J. Tripp, S. Givan, J.-C. Cho, H.-M. Oh, J. Kitner, K. L. Vergin and M. S. Rappé (2008) The small genome of an abundant coastal ocean methylotroph.  Environmental Microbiology, 10:1771-1782.

Brandon, M. L., J. W. Becker and M. S. Rappé (2008) Isolation of aquatic microorganisms via high throughput cultivation methods.  Molecular Microbial Ecology Manual, 3rd Edition.

Vergin, K. L., H. J. Tripp, L. J. Wilhelm, D. R. Denver, M. S. Rappé, and S. J. Giovannoni (2007) High intraspecific recombination rate in a native population of Candidatus Pelagibacter ubique (SAR11).  Environmental Microbiology, 9:2430–2440.

Benitez-Nelson, C. R., R. R. Bidigare, T. Dickey, M. R. Landry, C. L. Leonard, S. L. Brown, F. Nencioli, Y. M. Rii, K. Maiti, J. W. Becker, T. S. Bibby, W. Black, W.-J. Cai, C. Carlson, F.Z. Chen, V. S. Kuwahara, C. Mahaffey, P. M. McAndrew, P. D. Quay, M. S. Rappé , K. E. Selph, M. E. Simmons, and E. J. Yang (2007) Eddy-induced diatom bloom drives increased biogenic silica flux, but inefficient carbon export in the subtropical North Pacific Ocean.  Science, 316:1017-1021.

Steward, G. F. and M. S. Rappé (2007) What’s the “meta” with metagenomics? The ISME Journal, 1:100-102.
Becker, J. W., M. L. Brandon, and M. S. Rappé (2007) Cultivating microorganisms from dilute aquatic environments:  melding traditional methodology with new cultivation techniques and molecular methods.  In C. J. Hurst et al. [eds], Manual of Environmental Microbiology, 3rd Edition.  ASM Press, pp. 399-406.

Giovannoni, S. J., R. A. Foster, M. S. Rappé, and S. Epstein (2007) New cultivation strategies bring more microbial plankton species into the laboratory.  Oceanography 20:24-30.

Giovannoni, S. J., L. Bibbs, J.-C. Cho, M. D. Staples, R. Desiderio, K. L. Vergin, M. S. Rappé, S. Laney, D. F. Barofsky, and E. Mathur (2005) Proteorhodopsin phototrophy in the ubiquitous marine bacterium SAR11.  Nature 438:82-85.

Giovannoni, S. J., H. J. Tripp, S. Givan, M. Podar, K. L. Vergin, D. Baptista, L. Bibbs, J. Eads, T. H. Richardson, M. Noordewier, M. S. Rappé, J. M. Short, J. C. Carrington and E. J. Mathur (2005) Genome streamlining in a cosmopolitan oceanic bacterium.  Science 309:1242-1245.

Morris, R. M., J.-C. Cho, K. L. Vergin, M. S. Rappé, C. A. Carlson, and S. J. Giovannoni (2005) Temporal and spatial response of bacterioplankton lineages to annual convective overturn at BATS.  Limnology and Oceanography  50:1687-1696.

Lodge-Ivey, S. L., M. S. Rappé, W. H. Johnston, R.E. Bohlken, and A. M. Craig (2005) Molecular analysis of a consortium of ruminal microbes that detoxify pyrrolizidine alkaloids.  Canadian Journal of Microbiology 51:455-465.

Morris, R. M., M. S. Rappé, S. A. Connon, E. Urbach, and S. J. Giovannoni (2004) Prevalence of the Chloroflexi-related SAR202 bacterioplankton cluster throughout the mesopelagic zone and deep ocean.  Applied and Environmental Microbiology  70:2836-2842.

Rappé, M. S., and S. J. Giovannoni (2003) The uncultured microbial majority.  Annual Review of Microbiology 57:369-394.

Cowen, J. P, S. J. Giovannoni, F. Kenig, H. P. Johnson, D. Butterfield, M. S. Rappé, M. Hutnak, and P. Lam (2003) Fluids from aging ocean crust that support microbial life.  Science  299:120-123.

Zengler, K., G. Toledo, M. Rappé, J. Elkins, E. Mathur, J. Short, and M. Keller (2002) Cultivating the uncultured.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA  99:15681-15686.

Morris, R. M., M. S. Rappé, S. A. Connon, K. L. Vergin, W. A. Siebold, C. Carlson, and S. J. Giovannoni (2002) SAR11 clade dominates ocean surface bacterioplankton communities.  Nature  420:806-810.

Rappé, M. S., S. A. Connon, K. L. Vergin, and S. J. Giovannoni (2002) Cultivation of the ubiquitous SAR11 marine bacterioplankton clade.  Nature  418:630-633.

Research Funding