BioProject

High-elevation mountain environments are harsh and variable environments, making them extremely susceptible to environmental changes such as climate warming and increased nutrient deposition. More...

High-elevation mountain environments are harsh and variable environments, making them extremely susceptible to environmental changes such as climate warming and increased nutrient deposition. These factors provide researchers with a unique opportunity to explore the ecological processes which control the assembly and structure of microbial communities in high-elevation ecosystems. The Green Lakes Valley (GLV) is located at 3500m a.s.l. and is part of the Long Term Ecological network, and has been involved in a wide range of studies for more than 35 years. Much of the research in GLV has focused on hydrology, biogeochemistry, and the terrestrial plant and microbial communities. Some work has been done studying the microbial communities of the lakes in GLV, particularly Green Lake 4 (GL4). However, most of the microbial community research at GL4 has focused on the eukaryotic communities using non-molecular based techniques. Utilizing Illumina sequencing technology, we conducted the first comprehensive molecular analysis of the microbial communities of GL4 by sequencing 16S and 18S ribosomal sequences. These data were used to analyze how the microbial communities of GL4 are structured between its inlet and outlet, through its water column, and over the course of the of the valley's growing season. Improving our understanding of microbial community structure and assembly can provide researchers with information on how microbial communities naturally assemble and respond to environmental changes. Less...