MOLECULAR INDICATORS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

 

Overview

 

Understanding the molecular ecology of an environment is essential for monitoring and predicting the effects of a rapidly changing biosphere. Microbial secondary metabolites are diverse molecules that mediate synergistic and antagonistic microbial interactions, and therefore play essential roles in defining microbial community structure. These low molecular weight organic molecules are molecular forms of communication and chemical defense within and among organisms, as their biosynthesis is often associated with cellular stressors and response to environmental stimuli. As such, their presence can be used to understand changing microbial communities. 

 

In collaboration with the Mikucki Lab at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, we are exploring secondary metabolites that indicate changes in salinity and solar radiation in Antarctic polar deserts, such as the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV). The MDV is a cold, dry polar desert with permanently ice-covered lakes, perennial streams, and glacially derived mineral soils, all of which provide habitats for extreme-tolerant life. This region is a valuable Mars analog with soils that support active, low-diversity microbial communities that produce secondary metabolites. Our project aims to understand how these metabolites influence MDV community structure and microbial adaptation to ecosystem changes (e.g., solar radiation and salinity). Genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics to connect secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters in soils and microbial isolates to the molecules they produce in response to changing environmental stimuli. Our work will determine important molecular cues for microbial activity related to changing environmental conditions in extreme desert soils. 

 

 

Want to hear about Project One and Project Three?