Biology Seminar Series: Dr. Pacifica Sommers

The Biology Seminar Series welcomes Dr. Pacifica Sommers from the University of Colorado Boulder. Her seminar, titled, Processes of Microbial Assembly: Lessons from Antarctic Glaciers, will take place via Zoom. It will be hosted by Sarah  Araldi-Brondolo of Becklin Lab.

Abstract: Cryoconite holes are shallow mud puddles on the surface of glaciers. In Antarctica, they can be covered by a lid of solid ice, even while microbial activity takes place in the liquid water below. These isolated ecosystems in nearly identical environmental conditions provide a tractable system for studying processes in microbial community assembly. Dr. Sommers will introduce the biological diversity across domains of life, and even viruses, found within cryoconite holes. She will then present the biogeography of cryoconite holes, and the hypotheses generated by biogeographic patterns about how these unique microbial communities assemble. Finally, she will share preliminary results from in-situ experimental cryoconite holes constructed to test processes of microbial community assembly. The degree to which stochasticity affects microbial community assembly in the cryoconite hole system may be useful for understanding broader-scale patterns of microbial diversity.

For Zoom link, email Nichole Miller nlklossn@syr.edu.