Science and field work in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Antarctica was once thought to be a lifeless continent, defined by its most notably feature, a continuous sheet of ice. However, diverse microbial lifeforms thrive in this otherwise inhospitable habitat, particularly in the rare places where sufficient light and liquid water are available. The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) harbor one of the most diverse and productive microbial habitats in Antarctica. Nestled within the valleys of the Transantarctic Mountains in Eastern Antarctica, the MDVs are a cold desert region, characterized by dry soils and minimum annual precipitation. Permanently ice-covered lakes represent oases receiving limited light and year-round liquid water for consortia of microorganisms. Within the stratified water columns, diverse communities of protists play important roles in carbon and nutrient cycling within truncated food webs dominated by the microbial loop. Our research group has studied the distribution and function of the MDV lake protist community for nearly two decades. In this seminar long-term studies of Antarctic protists in the field and lab will be discussed