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SUMMARY:Antarctic snow algae blooms – analysing community function from 
 microscopes to satellites - Matt Davey\, Smith Lab
DTSTART:20190314T130000Z
DTEND:20190314T133000Z
UID:TALK116008@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Ronelle Roth
DESCRIPTION:The quantity\, distribution and contribution to primary produc
 tivity of snow algae in Antarctica are currently unknown. Snow algae commu
 nities consist mainly of green algal species of the genera Chlamydomonas a
 nd Chloromonas. They have a bi-phasic life cycle consisting of an active r
 eproductive motile stage\, seen as green patches in the snow\, and a dorma
 nt encystment phase during which the cells accumulate the red keto-caroten
 oid astaxanthin\, giving rise to red snow patches. We measured the metabol
 ic composition of snow algae in both green and red phases\, from samples t
 aken in the field at various locations in Antarctica during the 2014/15 an
 d 2017/18 austral summer seasons. We also determined the community composi
 tion of the blooms using 16S and 18S metagenomic sequencing. Our data show
 ed that the metabolic composition of the cells was the same from four geol
 ogically distinct but spatially close locations in the vicinity of Ryder B
 ay (Adelaide Island\, 68°S). However\, our data also show a high degree o
 f patchiness in the snow melt between the locations where snow algae commu
 nities occurred. Our metabolite data showed that the snow algae were rich 
 in unsaturated fatty acids and that metabolomic assays could detect detail
 ed changes in lipid\, carbohydrate and protein chemistry in the cells duri
 ng encystment. I will also present the first remote sensing analysis of sn
 ow algae distribution in Ryder Bay (Adelaide Island\, Antarctic Peninsula\
 , 68°S) using a detection algorithm for satellite data and will present u
 pdates from our 2019 Antarctic field season at King George Island - linkin
 g remote sensing data to the blooms on the ground and future plans. \n\nAf
 ter his talk and question session Matt has kindly offered to give an addit
 ional 10-15min talk on the wildlife and "life on base" in Antarctica. 
LOCATION:Department of Plant Sciences\, Large Lecture Theatre
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