I am originally from Argentina. I received my Ph.D. in the National University of San Martin where I focused on addressing the effect of agriculture and particularly that of glyphosate on the water quality and the microorganism of lakes. 

Education

Ph.D. in Molecular biology and biotechnology, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina. 2020

B.A. in Biology with Orientation in Ecology, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina. 2014

Studies in pedagogical training, I.S.F.D. y T. n° 57, Argentina. 2017

Postdoctoral studies, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET, Argentina). 2022

Research interest

In 2022, I joined Dr. Dordick lab as a postdoc in a multidisciplinary team associated with the Jefferson Project at Lake George to examine the triggers of harmful algae blooms formation and toxin production in cyanobacteria in multiple lakes.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Berman, M. C., Hrycik, A. R., Costello, A., Bai, Y., Rose, K. C., Relyea, R., & Dordick, J. S. (2024). Spatiotemporal dynamics of microbial communities and cyanobacteria blooms in two North American Lakes using long-read 16S rRNA sequencing. Ecological Indicators, 159, 111738.

Harris, T. D., Reinl, K. L., Azarderakhsh, M., Berger, S. A., Berman, M. C., Bizic, M., ... & Zhan, Q. (2024). What makes a cyanobacterial bloom disappear? A review of the abiotic and biotic cyanobacterial bloom loss factors. Harmful Algae, 102599.

Sánchez, M. L., Izaguirre, I., Zagarese, H., Schiaffino, M. R., Castro Berman, M., Lagomarsino, L., Chaparro, G., Baliña, S., Vera, M. S., & Cheruvelil, K. S. (2023). Drivers of planktonic chlorophyll a in pampean shallow lakes. Ecological Indicators, 146(December 2022), 0–3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109834

Castro Berman, M., O’ Farrell, I., Huber, P., Marino, D., & Zagarese, H. E. (2022). A large-scale geographical coverage survey reveals a pervasive impact of agricultural practices on plankton primary producers. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 325(October 2021), 107740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2021.107740

Zagarese, H. E., Diovisalvi, N. R., González Sagrario, M. de los Á., Izaguirre, I., Fermani, P., Unrein, F., Castro Berman, M., & Pérez, G. L. (2022). Increases in Picocyanobacteria Abundance in Agriculturally Eutrophic Pampean Lakes Inferred from Historical Records of Secchi Depth and Chlorophyll-a. Water (Switzerland), 14(2), 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14020159

Castro Berman, M. (2020). Efecto de las practicas agricolas basadas en el herbicida glifosato sobre la comunidad microbiana de aguas continentales (Issue 1). Universidad Nacional de San Martin.

Castro Berman, M., Llames, M. E., Minotti, P., Fermani, P., Quiroga, M. V., Ferraro, M. A., Metz, S., & Zagarese, H. E. (2020). Field evidence supports former experimental claims on the stimulatory effect of glyphosate on picocyanobacteria communities. Science of the Total Environment, 701(1), 134601. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134601

Metz, S., Dos Santos, A. L. A. L., Castelo, F., Bigeard, E., Licursi, M., Not, F., Lara, E., Unrein, F., Castro Berman, M., Bigeard, E., Licursi, M., Not, F., Lara, E., Unrein, F., & Berman, M. C. (2019). Diversity of photosynthetic picoeukaryotes in eutrophic shallow lakes as assessed by combining flow cytometry cell-sorting and high throughput sequencing. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 95(5). https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiz038

Castro Berman, M., Marino, D. J. G., Quiroga, M. V., & Zagarese, H. E. (2018). Occurrence and levels of glyphosate and AMPA in shallow lakes from the Pampean and Patagonian regions of Argentina. Chemosphere, 200, 513–522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.02.103