Are glacier surfaces the last refuge of an evolutionarily ancient lineage of unknown fungi?
Lead Research Organisation:
Aberystwyth University
Department Name: IBERS
Abstract
Glaciers and ice-sheets are increasingly recognized as the homes of surprisingly diverse and active microbial ecosystems. Even the mere prospect of life in Antarctic subglacial lakes, isolated for many millennia, attracts major international attention and investment. However since life certainly flourishes in unusual habitats on glacier surfaces. these should not be overlooked in our attempts to explore microbial biodiversity. Cryoconite holes are one such habitat, formed when rocky dusts are colonized by a diverse and highly active microbial consortium, forming a darkened microbe-mineral aggregate which increases the transfer of the sun's energy to ice and thus accelerates surface melt. My doctoral studies centred on the diversity and functioning of the bacterial community of cryoconite, which is dominated by organisms closely related to taxa in a broad range of habitats world-wide. In stark contrast, of the eukaryotes inhabiting cryoconite on High Arctic glaciers, the most abundant group by biomass, Fungi, appears strongly dominated by two related groups of fungi hitherto unknown to science. These fungi account for 75% of the sequences in collections of fungal DNA extracted from Svalbard cryoconite, and according to microscopy using genetic stains specific to the group, are derived from small ovoid cells attached to debris. Sequenced genes from specific DNA tests for the fungi demonstrate their presence in cryoconite worldwide suggesting a broad geographic range while the absence of affiliated sequences from DNA databases and the failure to detect the group in periglacial habitats imply their restriction to the cryoconite group near the root of the fungal tree of life and provide a crudely estimated divergence during the Neoproterozoic era, which consisted of major world-wide glaciations, including a hypothesized "Snowball Earth". Little else is known about these fungi, tentatively named the "cryomycetes". Therefore, I seek support to detail their evolutionary history, population structure, ecological functions and interactions. Doing so will permit the testing of the hypotheses that i)"cryomycetes" assume a significant role in the functioning of the extant cryoconite ecosystem ii)they form a major new branch on the fungal tree of life iii)cryoconite holes have formed a stable refuge for these fungi over glacial cycles. As a consequence, I anticipate insights into the interactions between cryoconite biodiversity and melting glaciers, both in the present day, and potentially in the postulated transition from a Neoproterozoic "Snowball" to a "Mudball" Earth.
Planned Impact
The primary objectives of the project are to characterize the phylogeny, distribution and ecological interactions of the fungal lineage tentatively termed the "Cryomycetes" which I discovered on Svalbard glaciers, thus helping to elucidate the natural history of this mysterious group of fungi. To achieve this, the primary mechanism of securing academic impact will be to publish the project's outcomes via peer-reviewed publication. Datasets will be made available to the relevant NERC data centres, to EBI-EMBL and EBI-metagenomes and MG-RAST to assure longer-term data security and provide additional contextual information. Characterizing these fungi, which appear endemic to glaciers and dominate the fungal community of cryoconite, will provide insights into the roles of fungi in the glacial ecosystem. Therefore, the project's impact will be maximised by the establishment of an international network of glacier ecologists interested in fungi with the PI and project partners at its hub. Finally, although climate change, glacier recession and threats to biodiversity are commonly appreciated issues which may concern the public, the project offers an opportunity to engage with the public and policy-makers to address interactions between these issues, and I will do so using the project's findings, images, videos, and overall outcomes to support direct engagement with regional policymakers, interactive webpages, research-led teaching and outreach activities with schoolchildren.
People |
ORCID iD |
Arwyn Edwards (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Takeuchi N
(2019)
Variations in Phototroph Communities on the Ablating Bare-Ice Surface of Glaciers on Brøggerhalvøya, Svalbard
in Frontiers in Earth Science
Rassner SM
(2016)
Can the Bacterial Community of a High Arctic Glacier Surface Escape Viral Control?
in Frontiers in microbiology
Ransom-Jones E
(2014)
Distribution and diversity of members of the bacterial phylum Fibrobacteres in environments where cellulose degradation occurs.
in Systematic and applied microbiology
Lutz S
(2015)
Microbial diversity on Icelandic glaciers and ice caps.
in Frontiers in microbiology
Irvine-Fynn TD
(2014)
A frozen asset: the potential of flow cytometry in constraining the glacial biome.
in Cytometry. Part A : the journal of the International Society for Analytical Cytology
Hill R
(2016)
Temporal and spatial influences incur reconfiguration of Arctic heathland soil bacterial community structure.
in Environmental microbiology
Gokul JK
(2016)
Taxon interactions control the distributions of cryoconite bacteria colonizing a High Arctic ice cap.
in Molecular ecology
Fiolka MJ
(2021)
Morphological and spectroscopic analysis of snow and glacier algae and their parasitic fungi on different glaciers of Svalbard.
in Scientific reports
Edwards A
(2020)
Microbial genomics amidst the Arctic crisis.
in Microbial genomics
Title | @icybear79 |
Description | A twitter account which posts images and microblogs associated with glacier ecology fieldwork and research |
Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
Year Produced | 2013 |
Impact | 241 tweets, 200 followers and 35 favourites as of 13 Nov 2014. Material tweeted by @icybear79 has resulted in media engagement including national TV appearance. Combined with @arwynedwards, this account has been responsible for the tweeting of imagery associated with http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1029 which has led it to be in the top 2% of all articles tracked by AltMetrics. |
Title | ICE ALIVE |
Description | An educational/outreach video on life in icy environments. Led by Dr Joseph Cook and supported by the Rolex Enterprise Awards, this film examines the rich ecosystem of glaciers and their interactions with climate change. |
Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
Year Produced | 2018 |
Impact | Released last week, it has 2212 views on vimeo at the time of writing and has been promoted by Chris Hadfield (Canadian astronaut), Jim Al-Khalili (BBC) and David Shukman (BBC). |
URL | https://vimeo.com/258993236 |
Description | We have found that an enigmatic lineage of fungi is present on glaciers on Svalbard, European Alps, Alaska, Greenland, Tien Shan, the Himalaya and Antarctica. We have characterized the contribution of this fungal group to the biodiversity of Svalbard and Alpine glaciers We have evidence of its contribution to glacier surface carbon cycling We are currently developing our datasets on the cellular morphology and single-cell genomes of the fungal lineage. |
Exploitation Route | Academic research |
Sectors | Energy Environment Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
Description | The award is current and research is ongoing. However as a result of the award, dissemination of outcomes to the general public, other researchers and Arctic policymakers is contributing in a shift in perception of glaciers and ice sheets as glacial ecosystems. In due course it is anticipated the scope of these impact will increase as further findings are published. |
First Year Of Impact | 2013 |
Sector | Environment |
Impact Types | Societal Economic |
Description | Hugh Cary Gilson Memorial Award |
Amount | £3,986 (GBP) |
Organisation | Freshwater Biological Association |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2013 |
End | 05/2014 |
Description | IBERS PhD studentship |
Amount | £55,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Aberystwyth University |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2013 |
End | 09/2017 |
Description | National Research Network Health & Biosciences PhD |
Amount | £80,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Welsh Assembly |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2014 |
End | 09/2018 |
Description | National Research Network Low Carbon Energy and Environment |
Amount | £820,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Welsh Assembly |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2015 |
End | 04/2019 |
Description | Research Grant |
Amount | £14,986 (GBP) |
Organisation | The Royal Society |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2014 |
End | 12/2014 |
Description | Aberystwyth Science Cafe |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk sparked questions and discussions afterwards. Approached by several audience members from geosciences background and advised their view of the cryosphere had been significantly altered by the talk. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |