Benjamin Twining
Senior Research ScientistPO Box 380
East Boothbay, ME 04544
U.S.A.
Curriculum Vitae
Research Interests
I am interested in the interactions between metals and planktonic organisms in marine and aquatic environments. Plankton play important roles in the global carbon cycle and form the base of most aquatic food webs. In many systems, the physiology and ecology of these organisms are influenced by the concentration, chemical speciation, and resulting bioavailability of trace metals such as Fe, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cd and Hg. Conversely, biological processes such as cellular uptake and the production of organic ligands influence the geochemistry and fate of metals in these systems. We utilize state-of-the-art analytical tools such as synchrotron x-ray fluorescence microscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and voltammetry to address questions of metal speciation, bioavailability, accumulation, trophic transfer, recycling and biogeochemistry in varied aquatic and marine systems.
Selected publications
Twining, B.S., S.B. Baines, J.B. Bozard, S. Vogt, E.A. Walker, and D.M. Nelson. 2010. Metal quotas of plankton in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Deep-Sea Research II. doi: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.08.018.
De Jonge, M.D., C. Holzner, S.B. Baines, B.S. Twining, K. Ignatyev, J. Diaz, D.L. Howard, A. Miceli, I. McNulty, C.J. Jacobsen, S. Vogt. 2010. Quantitative 3-D elemental microtomography of diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 107: 15676-15680 (doi: 10.1073/pnas.1001469107).
Twining, B.S., S.B. Baines, S. Vogt, and M. D. de Jonge. 2008. Exploring ocean biogeochemistry by single-cell microprobe analysis of protist elemental composition. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. 55: 151-162.
Hochella, M.F., Jr., S.K. Lower, P.A. Maurice, R.L. Penn, N. Sahai, D.L. Sparks, and B.S. Twining. 2008. Nanominerals, mineral nanoparticles, and earth systems. Science. 319: 1631-1635.
Smith, K.L., B.H. Robison, J.J. Helly, R.S. Kaufmann, H.A. Ruhl, T.J. Shaw, B.S. Twining, and M. Vernet. 2007. Free-drifting icebergs: Hotspots of chemical and biological enrichment in the Weddell Sea. Science. 317: 478-482.
Twining, B.S., S.E. Mylon, and G. Benoit. 2007. Potential role of copper availability in nitrous oxide accumulation in a temperate lake. Limnology and Oceanography. 52: 1354-1366.
Twining, B.S., S.B. Baines, N.S. Fisher, and M.R. Landry. 2004. Cellular iron contents of plankton during the Southern Ocean Iron Experiment (SOFeX). Deep-Sea Research I. 51: 1827-1850.
Twining, B.S., S.B. Baines, and N.S. Fisher. 2004. Element stoichiometries of individual plankton cells collected during the Southern Ocean Iron Experiment (SOFeX). Limnology and Oceanography. 49: 2115-2128.
Coale, K.H., K.S. Johnson, F.P. Chavez, K.O. Buesseler, R.T. Barber, M.A. Brzezinski, W.P. Cochlan, F.J. Millero, P.G. Falkowski, J.E. Bauer, R.H. Wanninkhof, R.M. Kudela, M.A. Altabet, B.E. Hales, T. Takahashi, M.R. Landry, R.R. Bidigare, X. Wang, Z. Chase, P.G. Strutton, G.E. Friederich, M.Y. Gorbunov, V.P. Lance, A.K. Hilting, M.R. Hiscock, M. Demerest, W.T. Hiscock, K.F. Sullivan, S.J. Tanner, R.M. Gordon, C.N. Hunter, V.A. Elrod, S.E. Fitzwater, J.L. Jones, S. Tozzi, M. Koblizek, A.E. Roberts, J. Herndon, J. Brewster, N. Ladizinsky, G. Smith, D. Cooper, D. Timothy, S.L. Brown, K.E. Selph, C.C. Sheridan, B.S. Twining, and Z.I. Johnson. 2004. Southern Ocean Iron Enrichment Experiment (SOFeX): Carbon cycling in high- and low-Si waters. Science. 304: 408-414.
Twining, B.S. and N.S. Fisher. 2004. Trophic transfer of trace metals from protozoa to mesozooplankton. Limnology and Oceanography. 49: 28-39.
Twining, B.S., S.B. Baines, N.S. Fisher, J. Maser, S. Vogt, C. Jacobsen, A. Tovar-Sanchez, S. Sañudo-Wilhelmy. 2003. Quantifying trace elements in individual aquatic protist cells with a synchrotron x-ray fluorescence microprobe. Analytical Chemistry. 75: 3806-3816.
Twining, B.S., M.R. Twiss, and N.S. Fisher. 2003. Oxidation of thallium by Great Lakes plankton communities. Environmental Science and Technology. 37: 2720-2726.