The Scott lab conducts research on the reciprocal relationship between aquatic microorganisms (phytoplankton, bacterioplankton, periphyton) and their chemical environment across spatiotemporal scales from populations to ecosystems. Our work involves both basic and applied questions such as the role of diazotrophs in controlling the nitrogen pool of lakes and the causes and effects of harmful algal blooms, respectively. We are interested in applying limnology to understand general ecological patterns and processes in nature, and to understand how microbial biogeochemistry impacts human welfare through water quality.