Science Keywords>BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION Life In The Ice:
Microbial Diversity and Function in Antarctic Sea Ice
EcosystemsEntry ID: K043_2010_2012_NZ_2 Abstract: Our hypothesis
is that ‘spatial and temporal variations in diversity and
ecosystem function of the sea ice microbial community are
sensitive indicators of changing climatic conditions’. The
research will develop baseline long-term data on microbial
biodiversity and community structure in the “grass” of ice-
covered regions – the primary and secondary producers at the
base of the food web. We will ... do this using both
conventional methods and molecular technology, and will quantify
abundances and species identifications using a range of
traditional and modern techniques including DNA fingerprints,
high throughput sequencing and single cell genome amplification.
We will develop an understanding of the functional role of
various components of the sea ice microbial community using
ecophysiological methods we have developed over nearly 20 years
of Anta