A5057893107- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Polar Research and Ecology
- Climate change and permafrost
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Cryospheric studies and observations
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena
- Calcium Carbonate Crystallization and Inhibition
- Microbial Fuel Cells and Bioremediation
- Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology
- Indigenous Studies and Ecology
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Marine and coastal ecosystems
- Fluoride Effects and Removal
- Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Microbial infections and disease research
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Biomedical Research
- Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
- Freezing and Crystallization Processes
- Electrochemical sensors and biosensors
- Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Scientific Computing and Data Management
- Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences
2020-2023
Colorado School of Mines
2015-2022
Abstract Our current knowledge of host–virus interactions in biofilms is limited to computational predictions based on laboratory experiments with a small number cultured bacteria. However, natural are diverse and chiefly composed uncultured bacteria archaea no viral infection patterns lifestyle described date. Herein, we predict the first DNA sequence-based biofilm. Using single-cell genomics metagenomics applied hot spring mat Cone Pool Mono County, California, provide insights into...
Blooms of microalgae on glaciers and ice sheets are amplifying surface melting rates, which already affected by climate change. Most studies glacial microorganisms (including snow glacier algae) have so far focused the spring summer melt season, leading to a temporal bias, knowledge gap in our understanding variations microbial diversity, productivity, physiology surfaces year-round. Here, we investigated communities from Icelandic bare habitats, with sampling spanning two consecutive years...
Abstract Glacier and ice sheet surfaces host diverse communities of microorganisms whose activity (or inactivity) influences biogeochemical cycles melting. Supraglacial microbes endure various environmental extremes including resource scarcity, frequent temperature fluctuations above below the freezing point water, high UV irradiance during summer followed by months total darkness winter. One strategy that enables microbial life to persist through is dormancy, which despite being prevalent...
Glacier ice algae of the streptophyte genus Ancylonema live on glaciers globally, including Greenland Ice Sheet, and bloom despite low temperatures, nutrient availability, very high light intensities. In polar regions, long night also imposes additional abiotic stressors. However, cellular mechanisms responsible for Ancylonema’s resistance adaptation to stress or prolonged darkness during winter are not known. We addressed this knowledge gap by evaluating functional responses a...
Abstract Blooms of pigmented algae darken the surface glaciers and ice sheets, thereby enhancing solar energy absorption amplifying snow melt. The impacts algal pigment community composition on darkening are still poorly understood. Here, we characterise glacier signatures bare surfaces study their role in photophysiology three Southeast Greenland. Purpurogallin astaxanthin esters dominated pools (mass ratios to chlorophyll a 32 56, respectively). Algal biomass pigments impacted chromophoric...
Biological sulfur cycling in polar, low-temperature ecosystems is an understudied phenomenon part due to difficulty of access and the dynamic nature glacial environments. One such environment where known play important role microbial metabolisms located at Borup Fiord Pass (BFP) Canadian High Arctic. Here, transient springs emerge from ice near terminus a glacier, creating large area proglacial aufeis (spring-derived ice) that often covered bright yellow/white sulfur, sulfate, carbonate...
Abstract Ancient putative microbial structures that appear in the rock record commonly serve as evidence of early life on Earth, but details their formation remain unclear. The study modern mat can help inform properties ancient counterparts, mineralizing systems with morphological similarity to are rare. Here, we characterize partially lithified mats containing cm-scale dendrolitic coniform from a geothermal pool (“Cone Pool”) at Little Hot Creek, California, if fully lithified, would...
The preservation of nucleic acids for high-throughput sequencing is an ongoing challenge field scientists. In particular, samples that are low biomass, or have to be collected and preserved in logistically challenging environments (such as remote sites during long sampling campaigns) can pose exceptional difficulties. With this work, we compare assess the effectiveness three methods DNA RNA extracted from microbial communities glacial snow ice samples. Snow were melted filtered upon...
A sulfur-dominated supraglacial spring system found at Borup Fiord Pass (BFP), Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, is a unique sulfur-on-ice expressed along the toe of glacier. BFP has an intermittent flowing, subsurface-derived, glacial that creates large white-yellow icing (aufeis) extends down-valley. Over field campaigns in 2014, 2016, and 2017, numerous samples were collected analyzed for both microbial community composition aqueous geochemistry. Samples from multiple site types:...
Lockdowns and “stay-at-home” orders, starting in March 2020, shuttered bench field dependent research across the world as a consequence of global COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic continues to have an impact on progress career development, especially for graduate students early researchers, strict social distance limitations stifle ongoing impede in-person educational programs. goal Bioinformatics Virtual Coordination Network (BVCN) was reduce some these impacts by helping biologists learn new...
Elliptical sulfate-rich features, stained red by the presence of iron oxides, are set within permafrost and carbonate rock at Borup Fiord Pass in Canadian High Arctic. These which vary diameter from ∼0.5 to 3 m, exhibit co-localization sulfur (S) (Fe) minerals, with S Fe both preserved multiple oxidation states. Through application x-ray diffraction (XRD) Raman microspectroscopy, we find that these features appear encapsulate central cores abundant pyrite while 0 , gypsum, iron-bearing...
Aerobic anoxygenic photosystems, identified within specific bacterial clades, have been described recently as pivotal components influencing the carbon cycle in ocean surface waters. These pigmented bacteria exhibit diverse life strategies, transitioning from anaerobic habitats, such sulfur purple bacteria, to harnessing sunlight for enhanced assimilation efficiency through aerobic photosynthesis. Remarkably, these microbial entities found across varied environments, including soil, rivers,...
Algal blooms occur during the summer melt on Greenland Ice Sheet and other melting supraglacial environments globally. Snow habitats are mostly inhabited by chlorophytes (Chlorophyceae Trebouxiophyceae), while bare ice is dominated streptophytes (Zygnematophyceae). These eukaryotes thrive at low temperatures under high light nutrients, they have specialised cellular mechanisms allowing for life extreme conditions. However, little empirical data exists about adaptations of snow glacial algae...
Abstract Biological sulfur cycling in polar, low-temperature ecosystems is an understudied phenomenon part due to difficulty of access and the ephemeral nature such environments. One environment where plays important role microbial metabolisms located at Borup Fiord Pass (BFP) Canadian High Arctic. Here, transient springs emerge from toe a glacier creating large proglacial aufeis (spring-derived ices) that are often covered bright yellow/white sulfur, sulfate, carbonate mineral precipitates...
Phototrophic organisms blooming during the summer melt season on snow and ice surfaces are dominated by eukaryotic green algae (Chlorophytes Streptophytes, respectively), with Cyanobacteria restricted to cryoconite habitats. However, role interactions between other light-harvesting largely understudied in these ecosystems.We searched metagenomes of samples collected from Greenland Ice Sheet melting for signatures indicating anoxygenic photosystems, which used certain groups bacteria gain...
Pigment-producing microorganisms are prevalent on glacier surfaces, decreasing the snow and ice albedo. This impacts absorption of solar radiation accelerates rates surface melting. Studying ecosystem is important to understand effects anthropogenic climate change, further our knowledge how glacier-dwelling organisms their evolution impact downstream ecosystems. Recent studies have revealed links between habitat type, seasonality, physicochemical characteristics microbial composition...