Скачать или смотреть Andean lake terraces: A microbial archive of adaptation to environmental stressors

Speaker: María Ángeles Lezcano (IMDEA)

Abstract: Microbial remnants preserved in ancient lake sediments offer a unique window into the environmental history of lake ecosystems. Analysing biomolecules like DNA, proteins and lipids from sediments allow researchers to reconstruct the composition of ancient microbial communities and decipher their adaptations to the environmental conditions at a particular time in history. The high altitude lakes of the Andean Altiplano provide a compelling setting for this type of paleobiological research. Altiplano lakes are drying out due to the current climate, leaving behind lake terraces of varying ages exposed to atmospheric conditions. The microbiomes of these terraces are scarcely studied, yet they harbor novel, uncultured microbial lineages adapted to a range of environmental stressors, including variations in lake water chemistry, daily thermal oscillations, and desiccation. In addition, these lake terraces also serve as terrestrial analogs for Martian paleolake basins, which experienced rapid desiccation in the early history of Mars. Investigating these unique microbial communities offers an opportunity to advance our understanding of microbial environmental adaptation and help define the limits of life on Earth and potentially beyond.