Microbes are the most abundant form of life in the ocean, the largest biological system on Earth. While they are generally too small to be seen by the unaided eye, there are 100 million times as many microbes in the oceans (13 × 1028) as there are stars in the known universe. However, for every creature on earth, big or small, there is a time to be born and a time to die. Death sustains new life in the ocean and microorganisms are essential for converting the products of decay into the nutrients of life. They grow by assisting digestion in guts of marine animals, by consuming animal waste and decay, and by capturing the energy of the sun. They too are eaten, and their small bodies and the nutrients released at death sustain all life in the sea. A very important nutrient is ammonia, a form of nitrogen that is used to make protein and DNA essential to all life. For over a century we did not know what marine microbes were responsible for converting ammonia to other bioavailable forms that can close the circle of life in the oceans. We now know because of the isolation of the responsible microbe from marine environment by investigators from Stahl lab at the University of Washington. It is a member of the Archaea, an evolutionary branch of life that diverged from animals, plants, and bacteria over three billion years ago. This novel microbe was named Nitrosopumilus maritimus, a Latin name that translates to “the dwarf nitrifier of the sea”. Nitrifiers oxidize the ammonia originating from decay into nitrate, a form of nitrogen sustaining most microbes and algae in the sea.
Although very small (4 million could fit on the head of a pin), because marine ammonia-oxidizing archaea are among the most abundant organisms in the ocean, accounting for 20% of total marine microbes, they control the production of nitrate. Their remarkable success is attributed to the ability to grow on only a whiff of ammonia, just one teaspoon of household ammonia added to an Olympic size swimming pool would keep them actively growing. Besides their prominent role in nitrogen cycle, ammonia-oxidizing archaea also make a significant contribution to the marine carbon cycle through CO2 fixation, the production of the greenhouse gases nitrous oxide and methane, and the provision of vitamin B12 to primary producers like algae in oceanic systems. Beyond the marine environments, members of ammonia-oxidizing archaea have also been found in a wide variety of habitats, including soil, freshwater, wastewater, and hot springs. They are now considered as one of the most widely distributed organisms in Earth`s biosphere, reflecting their remarkable ecological adaptation.
I am beyond thrilled to announce that my lab has officially moved to the Department of Microbiology in the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign! We are excited to continue our work on the physiology, molecular biology, ecology, and biogeochemistry of nitrifying microorganisms in our new home. I am actively recruiting motivated graduate students and postdocs to join us. If you are interested, please feel free to contact me at weiqin@illnois.edu for more details.
08/01/2025
Our lab is excited to be moving into the Chemical and Life Sciences Laboratory building! Hope our nitrifier cultures enjoy their new home at the U of I! [more]
07/01/2025
Dr. Qin received the Simons Foundation Early Career Award in Aquatic Microbial Ecology and Evolution. This award will support our research on the regulation of nickel utilization during marine urea-based nitrogen oxidation.
04/26/2025
Big congratulations to Michael Chlouber for successfully defending his Master’s thesis! An exciting milestone!
04/15/2025
Dr. Qin received the Early Career Award and was nominated for the Neal Lane Award for Excellence in Research in the Natural Sciences by the OU Vice President for Research & Partnerships
02/15/2025
We are excited to welcome Dr. Hui Shen to the Qin Lab as a Postdoctoral Scholar. He will be studying the interactive effects of ocean warming and trace metal limitation on marine nitrification. Welcome, Hui!
02/01/2025
We are excited to welcome Dr. Zhiguo Zhang to the Qin Lab as a Postdoctoral Scholar. He will be studying the effects of long-term warming and altered precipitation on soil nitrifier communities. Welcome, Zhiguo!
10/01/2024
Welcome Anna Giles and Caroline Honea as undergraduate researchers in the Qin Lab!
09/10/2024
Dr. Qin received the Department of Energy Early Career Award! This grant will support our research on the interactive effects of multiple climate change factors on soil nitrifying communities and nutrient transformation processes. Check out the OU VPRP News featuring this award!
08/01/2024
Shuyue Li joins Qin lab as a PhD student starting in August 2024. Welcome, Shuyue!
08/01/2024
Nan Rong will join Qin lab as a visiting PhD student starting in September 2024. Welcome, Nan!
08/01/2024
Dala Korkoyah will join Qin Lab as an undergraduate researcher. Welcome, Dala!
06/01/2024
Josh Bell joins Qin lab as an undergraduate researcher. Welcome, Josh!
05/01/2024
Dr. Qin and our collaborators at USC secured $2 million in funding from the NSF Biological Oceanography program to study the impact of ocean warming on marine nitrifying microorganisms. Check out the OU VPRP News and Norman Transcript featuring our new project!
02/01/2024
Our Nature Microbiology paper was featured by OU research news.
01/31/2024
Check out our new article published in Nature Microbiology.
09/2023
Xiangkun Kong will join Qin lab as a visiting postdoc from September 2023. Welcome, Xiangkun!
04/12/2023
Dr. Qin received the Nancy L. Mergler Faculty Mentor Award for Undergraduate Research.
10/10/2022
Congrats to Salma Waheed and Pierce Harvell for being awarded the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program scholarship.
06/01/2022
Congrats to Pierce Harvell for being awarded the Provost’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Fellowship.
05/01/2022
Wei Qin and our collaborators received the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences (DFCAS) Collaborative Research faculty Fellowships.
02/22/2022
Lei Hou will join Qin lab as a visiting postdoc research associate from February 2022. Welcome, Lei!
01/06/2022
Check our new perspective paper published in Science.
06/03/2021
Michael Wells will join Qin lab as a postdoc research associate from July 2021. Welcome, Michael!
05/04/2021
Hanyan Li will join Qin lab as a postdoc research associate from August 2021. Welcome, Hanyan!
03/16/2021
Xiangpeng Li will join Qin lab as a lab technician from April 2021. Welcome, Xiangpeng!
02/01/2021
Long Ngo, Bella Quan, and Zachary Perry join Qin Lab as undergraduate researchers. Welcome, Long, Bella, and Zach!
12/24/2020
Just moved in the brand new lab space! Hope my nitrifier cultures will like this new home. [more]
11/11/2020
The SEM picture of Nitrosopumilus maritimus is featured as the cover of the most recent volume of Environmental Microbiology. [more]