MicroAdapt Lab: Microbial Dynamics, Adaptation and Biogeography under Global Change
The MicroAdapt Lab aims to understand how microbial communities adapt to global change. While our primary focus is on Polar and Alpine ecosystems, we are committed to investigating microbial communities across a wide range of environments, from low biomass systems to more temperate zones. Our multidisciplinary approach combines field studies, laboratory experiments, multi-omics techniques, and computational modeling to investigate the factors driving microbial community assembly and their responses to environmental shifts.
A central theme of our research is to uncover the dynamic processes that drive microbial community structure and distribution globally. We aim to understand how environmental changes influence microbial gene regulation, how these regulatory shifts impact community composition, and how microbial dynamics evolve in response to rapid environmental shifts. By elucidating the molecular mechanisms that enable microorganisms to thrive in extreme conditions, we aim to predict how these adaptations will shape ecosystem functioning as climate change continues to accelerate.
Our current research includes several key projects focused on microbial biogeography and distribution, niche differentiation, and microbial invasions. By investigating the spatial and temporal distribution of microorganisms across diverse ecosystems, we aim to identify the drivers of microbial community structure, uncover how microorganisms adapt to specific ecological niches, and explore the impacts of climate change on the resilience and stability of microbial communities in fragile environments.
Key Research Themes and Projects:
Microbial Biogeography: We examine the spatial patterns of microbial communities, aiming to understand how factors such as soil properties, climate, and geography influence microbial diversity and distribution. Using spatial modelling techniques, we map the biogeographical patterns of soil microbial communities and forecast how these patterns may evolve in response to future environmental changes.
Microbial Niches: Our research explores how microorganisms occupy distinct ecological niches along environmental gradients. Through the use of cutting-edge multi-omics techniques such as shotgun metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, we define the metabolic niches of microorganisms, shedding light on their ecological roles and how they adapt to extreme environmental conditions.
Microbial Invasions and Colonisation: We investigate the dispersal and colonisation of microorganisms across ecosystem boundaries, particularly in snow, soil, and airborne systems. Our projects track the movement of microbes from airborne environments to soil and other habitats, studying how microbial communities and ecosystems respond to these colonisation events. This work is crucial for understanding the impacts of microbial invasions in the context of rapid climate change.
Through these projects, the MicroAdapt Lab aims to deepen our understanding of how microbial communities adapt to global environmental changes and to provide valuable insights into the resilience of life in extreme ecosystems.