Agricultural and Life Sciences (IFAS)
Christner Research Group
Led by Brent Christner · Microbiology and Cell Science
What we study
The Christner Research Group studies microorganisms in extreme cold environments like the cryosphere and atmosphere. They use fieldwork and lab experiments to understand how these microbes survive and influence nutrient and greenhouse gas cycles.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Fieldwork
- Bacteria & microbes
- Papers
- 5
Recent papers, explained
- The ecology of a smoke plume: bioaerosol patterns reveal abiotic and biotic drivers of diversity
2026 · Fire Ecology
Uses drones to study how microbes spread in wildfire smoke and how they relate to the environment.
- The Genetic Determinants of Extreme UV Radiation and Desiccation Tolerance in a Bacterium Recovered from the Stratosphere
2025 · Microorganisms
Looks at how bacteria from the stratosphere resist extreme UV and dryness, comparing them to similar species.
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- Curtobacterium aetherium sp. nov., a polyextremophilic plant pathogen isolated from the stratosphere
2025 · Microbiology Spectrum
Finds new types of bacteria in the stratosphere that can harm plants, similar to known pathogens.
- Genetic isolation and metabolic complexity of an Antarctic subglacial microbiome
2025 · Nature Communications
Analyzes microbes from an Antarctic lake to see how they survive and what they eat.
- Colors of Life in the Clouds: Biopigments of Atmospheric Microorganisms as a New Signature to Detect Life on Planets like Earth
2025 · The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Measures how microbes in Earth's atmosphere reflect light, which could help find life on other planets.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
Brent Christner hasn't set up this page yet. Their UF Scholars profile lists their publications.