NEWS Arctic phytoplankton survive long polar winters, despite low temperatures and little light. Sinéad Collins, Professor of Microbial Evolution at the University of Edinburgh and recipient of the Borealis UMF Fellowship, is leading a new project that will provide answers to which characteristics really make arctic plankton unique.
Sinéad Collins is Professor of Microbial Evolution at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Edinburgh and a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
ImageKristina ViklundWhat makes arctic phytoplankton ”arctic”? What specific adaptations are involved in their overwintering in ice, through the long and dark polar winters? In the new research project, Prof. Sinéad Collins focuses on how arctic phytoplankton respond to shifts in their environment, both when multiple environmental factors change at the same time and when environmental conditions fluctuate over time.
"We are particularly interested in connecting these two, where both ecological and evolutionary forces come into play. Our results will then inform marine ecosystem models, which can be used to explain and predict primary production in the oceans," she says.
The two-year Borealis UMF Fellowship is targeting successful marine researchers and gives the Fellowship holder access to UMF's research infrastructure, among other benefits.
"We are very excited to welcome Prof. Sinéad Collins. The Borealis Fellowship provides a unique opportunity to further push the boundaries of what we know about the effects of climate change on high-latitude marine ecosystems. Here, warming takes place 3-4 times faster than in other parts of the world, which means that the area acts as a 'canary in the coal mine'," says Prof. Nick Kamenos, director of Umeå Marine Sciences Centre.
The experiments will be performed in mesocosms at Umeå Marine Sciences Centre, where large-scale water and sediment experiments, including ice covering, can be carried out under highly controlled conditions.