Microbial ecology is the study of interrelationships between microorganisms and the living and non-living aspects of the environments that they inhabit. Microorganisms are important players in Polar habitats, where they are major drivers of biogeochemical cycles in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. In the Arctic, for example, the thawing of permafrost could lead to increases in microbial activities and carbon decomposition, resulting in accelerated release of greenhouse gases. In the Antarctic, microorganisms are important in mediating nutrient cycling in surface lakes and subglacial environments, which are thought to carry important nutrients to the surrounding Southern Ocean. Additionally, studies focusing on the survival mechanisms of microbes exposed to sub-zero conditions or freeze-thaw cycles contribute to our understanding of the resilience of life and to advances in the fields of biotechnology and astrobiology. Answering basic questions about microbial ecosystems can be difficult, as the systems cannot be observed directly, but recent technological advances allow the construction of molecular “blueprints”, which are keys to describing and understanding microbial ecosystems. Large quantities of these molecular data help inform our understanding of microbial population structures and metabolic activities, as well as how these elements interact with the environment as a whole. Combining current molecular approaches with field-based measurement and laboratory-based culture studies allows today’s microbial ecologists to examine important issues ranging from the impact of changing climate on nutrient cycling to life’s ability to survive in extreme environments.Do you want more information about Microbial Ecology? Here are some links and information about a few of the important organizations, listservs and journals in the microbial world.
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Organizations and Conferences
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Workshops
Microbial Diversity Summer Course at the Marine Biological Lab, Woods Hole, MA
Summer Course on Microbial Oceanography at the University of Hawai'i
Workshop on Molecular Evolution at the Marine Biological Lab, Woods Hole, MA
Workshop on Molecular Evolution at Colorado State University
Workshop on Comparative Genomics at Colorado State University
Microbial Genomics & Metagenomics Workshops at the Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA
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University departments
Center for Microbial Oceanography University of Hawai'i
Biological Oceanography University of Washington
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Listserves
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Journals and books
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Databases and other Resources
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APECS Virtual Poster Session
2011 November – Microbial Ecology from APECS Webinars.
This session is a result of the CAREX Conference session on Polar Microbiology organized by SCAR, IASC and APECS
Session Chairs:
Punyasloke Bhadury – Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, India
Jenny Baeseman – APECSPresentations:
How bacterial communities use nitrogen amendments in hydrocarbon contaminated High Arctic soils
---- Terrance Bell, McGill University, CanadaLittle Life on Polar Earth
--- Karen Cameron, University of Washington, USAThermophiles in a Polar Volcanic Desert
--- Paul Wilkinson, The Open University, UKChanges in Bacterial Community Composition of Surface Snow Around Three Sampling Sites in East Antarctica
--- Anna Lopatina, Institute of Molecular Genetics, RussiaCyanobacterial Endemism in Antarctic Stream Microbial Mats
--- Lee Stanish, University of Colorado – Boulder, USA -
Videos
Katey Walter Anthony, a Water and Environmental Resource Center Researcher at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, fires off a plume of methane from a local Fairbanks pond in November 2009. The methane lies trapped within the ice and seeps from thermokarst lake sediments below.
Building a home for psychrophiles
With high school students in Cordova, Alaska
by Oort Kuiper
Life in the Cold and deepening dark
Join John Priscu and team as - for the first time ever - American researchers stay out in the field for an extended research season in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, as the Antarctic summer of 24/7 days begins to turn into 24/7 night. John and colleagues explain why these valleys and their microbial ecosystem are so unique, and why it's worth the risk and discomfort to stay on so late, sampling lakes in temperatures more than 40 degrees below zero. This video shows some of the amazing Dry Valley landscapes in rare low-light conditions.
