Investigating the “Social Lives” of Microbes in Antarctic Lakes

Protists are a highly diverse and abundant group of microbes that majorly influence nutrient availability in aquatic systems. Protists’ lives are shaped by their interactions with other microorganisms. These interactions are affected by environmental conditions and are likely to be impacted by environmental shifts, including those caused by climate change. However, these tiny organisms and their actions can be hard to decipher in large, complicated ecosystems like the ocean. The isolated lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica are inhabited solely by microorganisms. Here, protists play outsized roles, providing perfect “natural laboratories” for observing protists and their friends. By understanding microbe interactions and how they are impacted by local environmental conditions, we can make predictions about how climate change may alter the role protists play in other, more complex aquatic environments.