In our new project “GrISMEME” (Greenland Ice Sheet surface as a model ecosystem for microbial macroecology) we will use the Greenland Ice Sheet ablation zone as a kind of macroecological test tube representing a large scale system with very low spatial heterogeneity (in contrast to soil ecosystems) and absence of large scale mixing (in contrast to oceans) to test hypotheses concerning assembly rules of microbial communities and spatial patterns in the distribution and diversity of phylogenetic vs. functional groups of microorganisms at different taxonomical levels. The core of the project team consists of two CryoEco members: Marek Stibal as PI, and Jakub Žárský responsible for logistics in the field and bioinformatic analysis of microbial data. Theoretical ecologist Arnošt Šizling from Charles University’s Center for Theoretical Study will be responsible for macroecological analyses.

We expect this research will bring novel insights into two fields of ecology – macroecology and microbial ecology – by combining the expertise and methodologies of both disciplines.

More news coming soon.