Nathan Chrismas | Comparative genomics of polar cyanobacteria
Channel: CyanoWorld
Date: 2021-02-19

Nathan Chrismas - Marine Biological Association, UK

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Comparative genomics of polar cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria are key photoautotrophs and nitrogen fixers in polar and alpine environments, where they exist in diverse ecologies including cryoconite holes, as benthic mats in ponds and meromictic lakes, and in endolithic communities. Despite their importance as nutrient cyclers and ecosystem engineers, little attention has been given to polar and alpine cyanobacteria from a genomic perspective. In this talk, I will discuss the potential for exploring the evolution and biogeochemistry of polar and alpine cyanobacteria through comparative genomics. I will give an overview of molecular diversity of polar and alpine cyanobacteria, before focusing on two case studies of strains isolated from Arctic cryoconite and an Antarctic lake, and discuss genomic adaptations to survival in extreme polar environments.

This talk is part of the CyanoWorld online seminar series, hosted by Nicolas Schmelling and Ilka Axmann, and was held on Zoom on February 11th, 2021.

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