Staff Profile

Biography

Dr. Charles Tang earned his Ph.D. in Marine Science from the University of Texas at Austin (U.S.A) in 2020. He is a marine ecologist with a research interest in microbial ecology and an expertise in marine plankton. 

Currently, Dr. Tang's research focus is to understand the effects of environmental pollutants (e.g., crude oil and chemical dispersant, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and microplasitcs) on the trophic dynamic of marine plankton. He also has a strong interest in red-tide causing micro-algae and understanding the formation of algal blooms in relationship to enviornmental pollutions and other environmental stresses, such as rising seawater temperature and altered concentrations and ratios of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients. Dr. Tang has been working on mixoplankton, a type of planktonic organisms that can be autotrophic and heteotrophic simultaneously, to understand how environmental stressors affect the shifting between these trohpic modes. His recent research interest includes revealing the potential risk of biological invasion of micro-algae in ballast sediment in the ballast tanks of trans-oceanic ships.     

• PI. Effects of altered N:P ratios and elevated temperatures on the abundance, community composition, trophic mode, and trophic transfer of elements of marine mixoplankton. Faculty Development Scheme, RGC. (UGC/FDS16/M11/24). 2025 – 2026. HK$1,075,350.
• PI. Mechanisms of toxicity and resistance to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of a heterotrophic dinoflagellate species. Hong Kong Metropolitan University Research & Development Fund. (RD/2024/2.6). 2025. HK$200,000.
• PI. Effects of microplastic ingestion on the growth of marine microplankton grazers and their grazing control on algal blooms. Faculty Development Scheme, RGC. (UGC/FDS16/M14/23). 2024 – 2025. HK$753,350
• PI. Metagenomics analysis of the biodiversity and functioning of microbial communities in the western and southern waters of Hong Kong. Marine Conservation Enhancement Fund, CAPCO, HK Electric, and HKLTL. (MCEF22109). 2024 – 2025. HK$ 769,780.
• PI.The effects of multiple stressors on the eco-physiology of a bloom-forming algal species. Hong Kong Metropolitan University Research & Development Fund. (RD/2023/1.6). 2023 – 2024. HK$ 190,280.
• PI. Microplastics ingestion on the growth and prey ingestion of a marine protozoan species. Hong Kong Metropolitan University Research & Development Fund. (RD/2022/1.11). 2022 – 2023. HK$ 199,020.

Selected Publications

Journal Articles

• Tang, C.H., Buskey, E.J. 2024. Compositional change of bacterial communities in oil-polluted seawater amid varying degrees of nanoplankton bacterivory. Environmental Pollution, 359, 124723.
• Tang, C.H., Chen, J. 2024. Effects of Microplastics Exposure on the Feeding of the Heterotrophic Dinoflagellate Species Noctiluca scintillans. Water Air Soil Pollut, 235, 799.
• Tang, C.H., Buskey, E.J. 2022. Impaired grazing of marine protozoa in sub-lethal exposure to the water accommodated fraction of crude oil and dispersant. Environmental Pollution 315, 120414.
• Tang, C.H., Buskey, E.J. 2022. De-coupled phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing in a simulated oil spill event in mesocosms. Marine Pollution Bulletin 178, 113631.
• Tang, C.H., Wong, C.K. 2016. The size structure and pigment composition of phytoplankton in a semi-enclosed bay, Hong Kong, after a 12-year nutrient reduction. Regional Studies in Marine Science 6, 10-18.
• Tang, C.H., Wong, C.K., Lie, A.A.Y., Yung, Y.K. 2015. Size structure and pigment composition of phytoplankton communities in different hydrographic zones in Hong Kong's coastal seas. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 95, 885-896.
• Liu, X., Tang, C.H., Wong, C.K. 2014. Microzooplankton grazing and selective feeding during bloom periods in the Tolo Harbor area as revealed by HPLC pigment analysis. Journal of Sea Research 90, 83−94.

Further Information

Link to personal homepage

Link to Google Scholar page

Modified Date: 04 Feb, 2025
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