Colin Munn

Teaching interests

How lucky I am! I  teach my favourite subjects to students on a wide variety of courses at all levels from first year to postgraduate. My aim is to stimulate students to the fascinating world of microbes and their role in .... well, everything! My research interests are particularly represented in the final year modules 'Marine Microbiology - Ecology and Applications' and  'Biological Oceanography' on the BSc Marine Biology  and BSc Marine Biology & Oceanography  degrees.  I also run a novel 'Contemporary Issues in Biosciences' module for stage 3 BSc Human Biosciences and other students, where the aim is for students to explore, in depth, 'hot topics' of their own choice.

Staff serving as external examiners

External examiner for PhD/MSc. (Universities of Aberdeen, ALagappa, Cork, Galway, Glasgow, Heriot-Watt Edinburgh, Kuwait, London, Queensland, Stirling, Surrey, Tel Aviv, Venezuela; James Cook University, Alagappa).

Prev. External examiner for BSc and MSc programmes (Universities of Brighton, Portsmouth, Wolverhampton)

Research interests

I am fascinated by all aspects of microbiology, with particular interests in interactions between symbiotic and pathogenic microbes and their hosts. I have studied microbial interactions with plants, invertebrate animals, fish, and humans and I am a strong advocate of a comparative approach. My recent research has taken me into various aspects of marine microbiology.
Microbes in coral health and disease. The importance of dinoflagellate algae (zooxanthellae) as photosynthetic symbionts in many corals is well known. However, it is only in the past few years that we have begun to realise the importance of bacteria and archaea also. Corals may now be considered as 'holobionts', inhabited by complex, dynamic communities of different microbes that affect their growth and survival. Because of the increased incidence of coral bleaching and disease and their profound ecological effects, it is important to understand the mechanisms by which the community composition of coral-associated bacteria may be regulated by environmental factors.
Effects of environmental stress on microbial community structure in corals and other marine invertebrates. I am investigating the microbial community structure of tropical and cold water corals using both traditional culture and molecular methods. For example, in collaboration with researchers at the Australian Institute for Marine Sciences, we described the first comparison and analysis of microbial communities of a coral from the Great Barrier Reef ( PDF ) and identified new bacterial species associated with coral bleaching ( PDF ). A mechanism of cell signalling called quorum sensing (QS) has been shown to be important in colonization, biofilm formation and expression of virulence factors and other extracellular enzymes in many bacteria including vibrios and we have recently reported the first study of QS in coral-associated bacteria ( Abstract ). I am particularly interested in the role of vibrios, because recent work suggests that disease in corals may be attributed to the success of these bacteria in out-competing other bacteria in the mucus and tissues. Rising sea water temperatures may alter the virulence of bacteria, and we are studying the effects of temperature on enzymes associated with pathogenicity, including proteases and cytolysins ( poster ). Another important aspect is the ability to withstand oxidative stress through production of superoxide dismutase and catalase (poster). We also recently produced the first evidence that coral pathogens enter a viable but non culturable state in seawater (poster, PDF), which is linked to oxidative stress survival. Closer to home, I also study bacteria associated with corals and other cnidarians in waters around the south west coast of Britain. In 2007, we described the first disease of cold water corals (PDF). We showed that vibrio bacteria are implicated in a necrotic disease affecting endangered populations of the gorgonian pink sea fan; our research is summarised in this poster and news report. We are now studying the effects of environmental factors on the disease.
Environmental triggers of latent viruses . We recently obtained the first definitive evidence that a latent virus in symbiotic zooxanthellae can be induced by ultraviolet light and temperature stress (PDF). This may provide a possible explanation for coral bleaching ( news report ). We are now attempting to characterise the virus and study its role in natural bleaching. Another current project is looking at latent viruses (bacteriophages) in bacteria associated with corals.

UoP Research group membership

Conferences organised
European Association of Fish Pathologists. International Conferences. I. Plymouth, UK, 1981. II Santiago di Compostela, Spain, 1983. III Bergen, Norway, 1985. IV Brest, France, 1987.
Fisheries Sciety of the british Isles. International Conference 'Molecular Biology in Fish, Fisheries and Aquaculture. Plymouth, Uk, 1995.
Heads of University Biological Sciences. 'New Developments in Teaching and Learning', Plymouth UK, 1999.