Travis Blake Meador, Ph.D.
Head of Laboratory - Organic Geochemistry
Biogeochemistry Section
Institute of Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry
https://www.bc.cas.cz/en/contacts/employee-list/contact/21572/
travis.meador@bc.cas.cz
Sadky 206C
Travis has expertise in state-of-the-art techniques in both analytical chemistry and molecular biology to characterize the bulk chemical, functional group, and isotopic composition of physiologically and environmentally relevant molecules (i.e., biomarkers) found in natural organic matter and cultured organisms stemming from all three domains of life (i.e., Eukarya, Bacteria, and Archaea). These investigations have targeted a broad range of environmental settings. A similarly wide diversity of expertise defines Travis’s career as a microbial organic stable isotope biogeochemist and has driven his development of multivariate tools to digest complex, environmental data. ORCID: 0000-0001-8255-5883 WEB OF SCIENCE: AAY-1599-2020 What it is that I do here: an elevator conversation: Ongoing research themes: Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a black box of organic molecules in both the logistical sense, that we vaguely understand how it cycles but do not know the underlying mechanisms that control this cycling, and in the aeronautical sense, that DOM records the molecular “conversations” of events that have transpired. Indeed, DOM is often depicted as a central component in marine food webs, having important ties to all domains of life and the global C cycle; however, the processes that control its distributions and fluxes remain poorly defined and further investigation of its composition and reactivity is necessary to resolve environmental phenomena and anthropogenic forcings. Biogeochemical Networks: The generation of large OTUs, geochemistry, lipidomic datasets has allowed for scientists to explore the relationship and potential drivers of microbial life below the seafloor. Using multi-variate analysis techniques, I am coordinating the results and efforts of a team of scientists to identify diagnostic trends in the distribution of microbes and their cell membrane biomarkers. Expertise and instrumentation to explore stable isotope distributions in soil & aquatic environments Contact: isbb-irms @ bc . cas . cz ABOUT We are primarily a collaborative service facility that aims to enable and develop stable isotope applications and to answer congruent research questions. We support interdisciplinary investigations of soil and aquatic habitats by offering scientific consultation, student training, and a broad range of instrumentation and approaches for determining stable isotopic ratios of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and hydrogen. Our commitment is to scientific merit and publication of the stable isotope ratio measurements generated by our combined thought, time, resources, and facilities. Initiated in February 2018, the facility is currently in an acquisition phase in terms of both personnel and instrumentation. We project for our analytical services to be ‘on-line’ by Autumn 2018, including: INSTRUMENTATION The Stable Isotope Facility is equipped with a Thermo ScientificTM 253 PlusTM 10 kV IRMS configured for the for determining the stable isotopic composition of C, N, S, O, and H introduced as CO2, N2, SO2, O2, H2, CO, N2O, or CH4 via continuous flow from the peripheral instruments listed below. Education A spatial deconvolution of molecular signals in oceanic dissolved organic matter Available: http://repositories.cdlib.org/sio/techreport/73 Principle Investigator: L. Aluwihare, Geosciences Research Division Professional Experience Planktonic Archaeal Phosphorus Affinity and Apportionment (DFG research grant awarded to T.B. Meador) Deep subsurface Archaea: carbon cycle, life strategies, and role in sedimentary ecosystems (funded by an ERC Advanced grant awarded to K-U. Hinrichs) Isolation and characterization of natural dissolved organic phosphorus (funded by a Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation grant awarded to D.J. Repeta) Development and application of ultra- and nano- filtration technologies to environmental studies of dissolved organic matter and nutrients (funded by a Greek Secretary of Research and Technology, Ministry of Development grant awarded to A. Gogou and D.J. Repeta) Languages: native: English; advanced: German, Spanish; beginner: Greek, Portuguese, Czech RESEARCH SUMMARY ORCID: 0000-0001-8255-5883 WEB OF SCIENCE: AAY-1599-2020 Monographs - Doctoral Thesis: Meador, T.B. 2008. A spatial deconvolution of molecular signals in oceanic dissolved organic matter, Ph.D., Univ. of California San Diego, CA, USA. http://repositories.cdlib.org/sio/techreport/73 EXTERNAL RESEARCH GRANTS RECEIVED Year Funding Source Role Duration (y) Award 2024 Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, Dissolved Organic Oxygen and Hydrogen in Oceanographic Systems (DOOHOS) Project leader, supervisor, authored proposal 3 11 937 000 CZK (477 000 €) 2022 Ministry for Youth, Education, and Sport; French-Czech Mobility Program Project leader, authored proposal 2 156 000 CZK (6 230 €) 2021 Grant Agency of the Czech Republic,Peat Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotopes (PHOXYtopes) Project leader, supervisor, authored proposal 3 11 671 000 CZK (466 000 €) 2020 Statutory City of Ceske Budejovice Project leader, authored proposal 1 75 920 CZK (3 000 €) 2020 Bayerisch-Tschechische Hochschulagentur Project co-leader, co-authored proposal 1 7 000 € 2020 Grant Agency of the Czech Republic, Fungal Stable Isotope Fractionation (FUNSIF) Project leader, supervisor, authored proposal 3 9 128 000 CZK (365 000 €) 2018 Czech Academy of Sciences Mobility Award supervisor, co-authored proposal 1.5 926 000 CZK (37 000 €) 2016 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Eigene Stelle ME 4594/2-1), Planktonic Archaea: Phosphorus Affinity and Apportionment authored proposal, principal investigator 2 192 000 € 2012 ATMOMED mesocosm project, European Union Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. 228224, MESOAQUA: 2012 team member: DOM and biomarker sampling and analysis -- travel, lodging & expenses (2 weeks) 2007 Univ. of California Halladay Student Field Research Award authored proposal, team leader -- 1 week shiptime 2007 National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, TAO research program authored proposal, team leader -- 40 days shiptime 2005 Conrad Hilton fund via Achievement Rewards for College Scientists, Los Angeles Chapter recipient of Ph.D. research award 2 ~ $45 000 USD 2002 National Science Foundation (USA) Graduate Student Fellowship authored proposal, Ph.D. researcher 3 ~ $75 000 USD PROFESSIONAL & SERVICE ACTIVITIES Expert Missions in Nitrate Isotopes Applications for International Atomic Energy Agency 2024 2023 2022 Invited lectures at conferences, universities, and research institutions (last 3 years) 2024 2023 2022 Communications in Scientific Meetings (> 20 first author contributions) Other Professional Activities English/Science Editor, American Journal Experts and ScienceDocs Inc. (2010-2015) TEACHING & MENTORING Courses Taught 2019-present Biogeochemistry (Co-instructor), U. South Bohemia (KBE 117) 2018/2019 Stable Isotopes in Environmental Sciences, Ecology and Physiology (KEBR 620) Lecturer 2020-2022 IAEA Virtual Regional Training Course on Isotope Hydrology Community Outreach Otevřena Věda (Open Science) Internship program, Budweis, Czechia Guest English instructor, Oberschule am Leibnitzplatz, Bremen, Germany Big Brother for Big Brothers & Big Sisters of San Diego County youth outreach program 
Research Interests
Organic Geochemistry Research Group
Biomarkin': BIOMARKer INventions and INnovations
Firstly, can you appreciate the importance of plant life for the planet? …Over centuries we have learned the relative importance and cultivation practices of many plant species: for crops, medicine, decoration, architecture, etc. Perhaps most importantly, plants on land and in the ocean are a natural sustenance that take carbon from the atmosphere, turn it into living biomass, and produce the oxygen that we breathe.
EQUALLY IMPORTANT as carbon assimilation by photosynthesis, is the removal of organic carbon via degradation of living biomass. Humans have also learned to benefit from this natural process; examples include composting, treating wastewater, and even brewing!
WE HAVE ONLY BEGUN to explore the many varieties of carbon degradation mechanisms on Earth. I am currently researching these and other capabilities of micro-organisms in marine sediments…
Stable Isotope Facility
Biogeochemistry
University of South Bohemia
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Total found: 21 records
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Pilecky M., Meador Travis B., Wassenaar L.I. (2025) Advancements in compound-specific hydrogen stable-isotope analysis of fatty and amino acids Trends in Analytical Chemistry
186: Article number 118194.
DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2025.118194 |
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Angst G.,
Angst Š.,
Frouz J.,
Jabinski S.,
Jílková V., Kukla J.,
Li M., Meador Travis B.,
Angel R. (2024) Stabilized microbial necromass in soil is more strongly coupled with microbial diversity than the bioavailability of plant inputs Soil Biology and Biochemistry
190: Article number 109323.
DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2024.109323 |
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Berlinghof J., Montilla L.M., Peiffer F., Quero G.M., Marzocchi U., Meador Travis B., Margiotta F., Abagnale M., Wild Ch., Cardini U. (2024) Accelerated nitrogen cycling on Mediterranean seagrass leaves at volcanic CO2 vents Communications Biology
7: Article number 341.
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06011-0 |
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Jabinski S.,
de Melo Rangel W.,
Kopáček M.,
Jílková V., Jansa J., Meador Travis B. (2024) Constraining activity and growth substrate of fungal decomposers via assimilation patterns of inorganic carbon and water into lipid biomarkers Applied and Environmental Microbiology
90: 1-17.
DOI: 10.1128/aem.02065-23 |
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Karimi Nezhad M.T., Šamonil P., Daněk P., Jaroš J., Hájek M., Hájková P.,
Jabinski S., Meador Travis B., Roleček J. (2024) Lipid biomarkers and stable isotopes uncover paleovegetation changes in extremely species-rich forest-steppe ecosystems, Central Europe Environmental Research
259: Article number 119564.
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119564 |
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Liu Q., Eisenhauer N., Scheu S.,
Angst G., Bücker M., Huang Y., Meador Travis B., Schädler M. (2024) Climate‑dependent plant responses to earthworms in two land‑use types Oecologia
204: 133–146.
DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05493-9 |
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Nweze J.,
Tláskal V.,
Wutkowska M., Meador Travis B., Pîcek T., Urbanová Z.,
Daebeler A. (2024) Regulators of aerobic and anaerobic methane oxidation in two pristine temperate peatland types FEMS Microbiology Ecology
100: Article number fiae153.
DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiae153 |
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Pilecky M., Kämmer S.K., Winter K., Ptáčníková R., Meador Travis B., Wassenaar L.I., Fink P., Kainz M.J. (2024) Compound‑specific stable isotope analyses of fatty acids indicate feeding zones of zooplankton across the water column of a subalpine lake Oecologia
205: 325–337.
DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05574-3 |
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Šmejkal M.,
Thomas K.,
Šmejkalová Z., Stepanyshyna Y.,
Bartoň D.,
Tapkir S., Meador Travis B.,
Vašek M. (2024) Isotopic niches reveal the impact of topmouth gudgeon and gibel carp on native crucian carp. NeoBiota
93: 203-224.
DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.93.119274 |
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Zhu Q.-Z., Elvert M., Meador Travis B., Schröder J.M., Doeana K.D., Becker K.W., Elling F.J., Lipp J.S., Heuer V.B., Zabel M. , Hinrichs K.-U. (2024) Comprehensive molecular-isotopic characterization of archaeal lipids in the Black Sea water column and underlying sediments Geobiology
22: Article number e12589.
DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12589 |
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Luláková P., Šantrůčková H., Elster J., Hanáček M., Kotas P., Meador Travis B., Tejnecký V., Bárta J. (2023) Mineral substrate quality determines the initial soil microbial development in front of the Nordenskiöldbreen, Svalbard FEMS Microbiology Ecology
99: Article number fiad104.
DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiad104 |
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Pilecky M., Meador Travis B., Kämmer S.K., Winter K., Ptáčníková R., Wassenaar L.I., Kainz M.J. (2023) Response of stable isotopes (δ2H, δ13C, δ15N, δ18O) of lake water, dissolved organic matter, seston, and zooplankton to an extreme precipitation event Science of the Total Environment
891: Article number 164622.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164622 |
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Tapkir S.,
Thomas K., Kalous L.,
Vašek M., Meador Travis B.,
Šmejkal M. (2023) Invasive gibel carp use vacant space and occupy lower trophic niche compared to endangered native crucian carp. Biological Invasions
25: 2917–2928.
DOI: 10.1007/s10530-023-03081-9 |
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Tapkir S.,
Thomas K., Kalous L.,
Vašek M., Meador Travis B.,
Šmejkal M. (2023) Invasive gibel carp use vacant space and occupy lower trophic niche compared to endangered native crucian carp Biological Invasions
25: 2917–2928.
DOI: 10.1007/s10530-023-03081-9 |
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Yang S.,
Angst G., Jandová K., Kukla J., Meador Travis B., Paterson E.,
Jílková V. (2023) Early- and later-stage priming effects induced by spruce root fractions are regulated by substrate availability, stoichiometry and C input Geoderma
437: Article number 116610.
DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2023.116610 |
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Li M., Meador Travis B., Sauheitl L., Guggenberger G.,
Angst G. (2022) Substrate quality effects on stabilized soil carbon reverse with depth Geoderma
406: Article number 115511.
DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115511 |
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Lin Q., Dini-Andreote F., Meador Travis B.,
Angel R., Meszárošová L., Heděnec P.,
Li L., Baldrian P.,
Frouz J. (2022) Microbial phylogenetic relatedness links to distinct successional patterns of bacterial and fungal communities Environmental Microbiology
24: 3985–4000.
DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15936 |
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Petrash D., Steenbergen Ingrid M.,
Valero A., Meador Travis B., Pačes T., Thomazo Ch. (2022) Aqueous system-level processes and prokaryote assemblages in the ferruginous and sulfate-rich bottom waters of a post-mining lake. Biogeosciences
19: 1723-1751.
DOI: 10.5194/bg-19-1723-2022 |
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Semitsoglou-Tsiapou S., Meador Travis B., Peng B., Aluwihare L. (2022) Photochemical (UV–vis/H2O2) degradation of carotenoids: Kinetics and molecular end products Chemosphere
286: Article number 131697.
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131697 |
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Angst G., Pokorný J., Mueller C.W., Prater I., Preusser S., Kandeler E., Meador Travis B., Straková P., Hájek T., van Buiten G. ,
Angst Š. (2021) Soil texture affects the coupling of litter decomposition and soil organic matter formation Soil Biology and Biochemistry
159: Article number 108302.
DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108302 |
