Adaptation of microorganisms to Arctic environments

地球生物圈的绝大多数（约75%）存在于永久寒冷的环境中，包括极地（占表面积的14%）和深海（按体积计占90%）。然而，生物在这些广泛的环境中适应生存和繁荣的机制尚不清楚。这些系统正不成比例地受到全球气候变化的影响，这些变化对其微生物居民的影响尚不清楚。了解这些微生物如何适应这些条件对于预测和理解气候变化对北方生态系统的影响至关重要，并将为了解基本的分子和进化适应机制提供见解。此外，适应这些条件的酶和微生物已经引起了工业和生物技术的极大兴趣。我的研究计划将集中在研究微生物的多样性和动态及其适应这些极端环境的机制。我将使用先进的分子生物学和基于基因组学的方法，从育空西南部圣伊莱亚斯山脉冰原山脉Kaskawulsh冰川的未培养微生物中获得基因序列。一种方法，稳定同位素探测，将允许我，第一次，将微生物的身份与其环境功能联系起来。我将分析基因序列，以确定微生物的多样性、功能和对寒冷的进化适应。这些研究将为极端环境的微生物学和对极端温度的适应提供见解。

The vast majority (>75%) of Earth's biosphere exists in permanently cold environments, including polar regions (14% of surface area) and deep ocean (90% by volume). However, the mechanisms by which organisms adapt to survive and thrive in these widespread environments are not well understood. These systems are being disproportionately affected by global climate change and the impact of these changes on their microbial inhabitants is unclear. Understanding how these microorganisms adapt to these conditions is critical for predicting and comprehending the effects of climate change on Northern ecosystems and will provide insight into fundamental molecular and evolutionary adaptation mechanisms. Furthermore, enzymes and microorganisms that are adapted to these conditions have been of great interest for industry and biotechnology. My research program will focus on examining the diversity and dynamics of microorganisms and their mechanisms of adaptation to these extreme environments. I will use advanced molecular biology and genomics based methods to obtain gene sequences from uncultured microorganisms from the Kaskawulsh Glacier in the Icefield Ranges of the St. Elias Mountains in southwest Yukon. One approach, stable isotope probing, will allow me, for the first time, to link the identity of the microorganisms to their environmental function. I will analyse gene sequences to determine microbial diversity, function, and evolutionary adaptations to the cold. These studies will provide insights into microbiology of extreme environments and adaptation to temperature extremes.