Rassoulzadegan in Villefranche-sur-Mer and the 'evolution' of marine microbial ecology over the last three decades

摘要

The evolutionary pattern of contemporary marine microbial ecology can be said to resemble that of ‘punctuated equilibrium’ (Eldredge & Gould 1972), characterised by abrupt shifts in both focal points and methods. Fereidoun Rassoulzadegan’s research, spanning the period from the mid-1970s to the 2000s paralleled, and in many cases preceded, the dramatic changes in focus and approaches in the field. In this introduction, we attempt to tell the story of the ‘evolution of marine microbial ecology’ over the past 3 decades, and the place of the microbial ecology group founded by Rassoulzadegan and now part of the Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche-sur-Mer.