Defining the Intersection of Geology, Geochemistry and Microbiology in Hydrothermal Environments
Dr.
Daniel
Colman
Department of
Microbiology
and
Immunology,
Montana
State
University
Hydrothermal systems provide excellent model systems to deconvolute the dynamic interplay between geology and geochemistry and the ecology and evolution of microorganisms. Extensive geochemical variation exists in hydrothermal systems that sets the stage for an incredible amount of microbial taxonomic and functional biodiversity. Further, microorganisms inhabiting hydrothermal systems can have profound roles in shaping the geochemistry of their environments through geo-biological feedbacks resulting from biological transformations of inorganic and organic chemical constituents.
In this talk, I will describe several of the recent insights into the ecology and evolution of microorganisms that I have made by carefully integrating geologic and geochemical information within an evolutionary ecology framework across the Yellowstone National Park hydrothermal ecosystem. I will also discuss my previous and ongoing research aimed at understanding the co-evolution of thermoacidophilic organisms and their acidic environments through the inferred process of niche construction.