Microbial Diversity in the Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands, a group of volcanoes located on the equator approximately 600 miles west of South America, is home to a variety of unique plants and animals that can be found nowhere else in the world. Much less is known about the microbial diversity of this unique setting, particularly within extreme habitats associated with active volcanoes. Several Galápagos volcanoes have active fumarole fields where volcanic gases and steam escaping to the surface deposit sulfurous coatings on surrounding rocks and surfaces, and cause thermal alterations to the surrounding geology. We chose these extreme settings to investigate the relationships between the geochemistry, mineralogy and microbiology of fumaroles, and to assess the effect of geographical separation on microbial community diversity.
Related Links:
Charles Darwin Foundation
www.darwinfoundation.org
General geology
www.geo.cornell.edu/geology/GalapagosWWW/GalapagosGeology.html
Undergraduate and graduate students interested in working on a research project are encouraged to contact Dr. Susan Childers at childers@uidaho.edu.