By: Dr. Laurie Connell
This project is focused on determining what the microbial
community is that colonizes rocks from volcanoes- basaltic rocks. These rocks are high in iron (Fe) and
manganese (Mn). There are some microbes
that can get their energy directly from rocks and some that can get their
carbon from the air as either carbon dioxide (CO2) or carbon
monoxide (CO). Our part of the project
is interested in the fungi in these microbial communities.
Four years ago we made microbe traps. They were tubes and sachets with bits of rock
with various amounts of Fe or Mn in them.
We then put them in several different habitats that have a natural
basaltic substrate nearby.
The first one we placed out is near a basaltic wall that is
under seawater- called Cape Evan’s Wall.
Hubert and the divers will be recovering that trap later today.
Next we put traps at various depths in a permantly ice
covered lake in the McMurdo Dry Valleys- Lake Fryxell. The ice is quite thick on the lake and
although light does penetrate the ice never goes off the surface.
Two other sets of traps were put in seasonal streams from
Hughes Glacier and from Walcott glacier.
These streams are usually frozen but flow a few weeks a year when the
glacier is actively melting. The last
set of traps was put on the active volcano, Mount Erebus. We are getting packed
now to begin our Mount Erebus ascent next week.
More about Mount Erebus and what
we are doing up there in later posts.
Right now it is getting warmer as spring progresses but it
is still very cold in the wind with a -41oF windchill
temperature. That makes for a cold
skidoo ride out to Cape Evan’s Wall to pick up our samples today!
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