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Rachael Morgan-Kiss

Education

Ph.D. Western University (2000)

Research Interests

I am a microbial ecologist. My research program focuses on how microorganisms survive extreme environments. Our research is located in Antarctica.

Microbial Ecology, Polar Biology, Photosynthesis

My laboratory is interested in the environmental adaptations that allow microorganisms to thrive in extreme habitats. Permanently low-temperature ecosystems represent some of the most poorly understood extremophilic habitats in the world, despite the extraordinary biological diversity and global importance of these regions. To date, there are few representative microbial models from cold environments and efforts to link the physiology and biochemistry of polar microbes with the molecular mechanisms governing adaptation have been limited. Thus, the overall goals for my research program are to establish laboratory models of cold-adapted autotrophic microorganisms and to exploit functional genomic and molecular biology-based approaches to identify how microorganisms are genetically adapted to their unique niches. My current research program encompasses two areas of research: I) physiological adaptation of extremophilic autotrophic organisms, and II) diversity and function of microorganisms from extreme environments. We apply these research themes to integrated questions that link cultured-based studies under controlled laboratory conditions with field-based research on the microbial communities residing in their natural environments. Our main study sites are chemically stratified, permanently ice-capped lakes located in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica.

McMurdo Dry Valley Field Seasons - Lipid Bodies in an Antarctic algae isolate (Chlamydomonas ICE sp.)

• 2008 - [NSF0631659] This multi-investigator project proposed to study lakes within the Taylor Valley during the transition to polar night to test the overarching hypothesis that the onset of darkness induces a cascade of physiological changes that alters the functional roles of autotrophic and heterotrophic microplankton within the lakes. The overarching hypothesis of this project was: Polar night induces a cascade of physiological changes that alters the functional role of autotrophic and heterotrophic microplankton within the lakes. Work in the Morgan-Kiss laboratory specifically addressed two sub-hypotheses: Functional downregulation of the photochemical apparatus during the summer-winter transition is integral to the overwintering strategy of phytoplankton; the photosynthetic process will be structurally altered at the level of gene expression in phototrophic communities during the winter-summer transition (for complete details see: .
• 2010 - This past season our laboratory focused on gaining a better understanding of the diversity and activity of autotrophic communities residing in three of the Taylor Dry Valley lakes (Lakes Bonney, Fryxell and Vanda). Experiments in the field included collection of lake water for molecular analyses as well as enzymatic assays, as well as setting up enrichments cultures for isolating new microorganisms adapted to different nutritional requirements. Our hypotheses for this project are: Lake-specific variations in abiotic factor(s) control distribution and functional gene expression of key phototrophic protists; Energy/carbon acquisition in dry valley lake phototrophic protists is adapted to lake-specific variations in environmental niche.(2010 field season blog: ).

Current Projects

• Culture-Based Research
  • Environmental adaptation of the enzyme RubisCO in cold adapted microalgae.
  • Oxidative stress response in psychrophilic microorganisms.
  • Effect of temperature on circadian response in temperate and cold adapted microalgae.
  • Acclimation of microalgae to variable carbon and energy sources under low temperatures.
  • Development of low temperature tolerant microalgal strains as biofuel producers.
• Field Research
  • Adaptation of microbial communities during the shift from 24 hr daylight to darkness during the polar night transition in ice-covered Antarctic lakes.
  • Diversity of autotrophic microorganisms in chemically stratified Antarctic lakes.
  • Quantitative real-time PCR detection of functional genes in aquatic communities.
  • Diversity and trophic function of microbial eukaryotes in oligotrophic (Antarctic) versus eutrophic (Ohio) lakes.
  • Enrichment and isolation of autotrophic organisms from Antarctic lakes.

Selected Publications

• Sherwell, S., Kalra, I., Li, W., McKnight, D.M., Priscu, J.C. and Morgan‐Kiss, R.M. (2022) Antarctic lake phytoplankton and bacteria from near‐surface waters exhibit high sensitivity to climate‐driven disturbance. Environmental Microbiology 24: 6017-6032. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.16113
• Smith, D.R., Leung, A., Zhang, X., Cvetkovska, M., Morgan-Kiss, R. and Hüner, N.P. (2022) An Antarctic alga that can survive the extreme cold. Frontiers for Young Minds 10.
• Stahl-Rommel, S., Kalra, I., D’Silva, S., Hahn, M.M., Popson, D., Cvetkovska, M. and Morgan-Kiss, R.M. (2022) Cyclic electron flow (CEF) and ascorbate pathway activity provide constitutive photoprotection for the photopsychrophile, Chlamydomonas sp. UWO 241 (renamed Chlamydomonas priscuii) Photosynthesis Research 151: 235-250.
• Patriarche, J.D., Priscu, J.C., Takacs‐Vesbach, C., Winslow, L., Myers, K.F., Buelow, H., Morgan‐Kiss, R.M. and Doran, P.T. (2021) Year‐round and long‐term phytoplankton dynamics in Lake Bonney, a permanently ice‐covered Antarctic lake. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, p.e2020JG005925. ]
• Zhang, X., Cvetkovska, M., Morgan-Kiss, R., Hüner, N.P.A., and Smith, D.R. (2021) Draft genome sequence of the Antarctic green alga Chlamydomonas sp. UWO241. iScience 102084-102084.
• Shinde, S., Zhang, X., Singapuri, S.P., Kalra, I., Liu, X., Morgan-Kiss, R.M., and Wang, X. (2020) Glycogen metabolism supports photosynthesis start through the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway in cyanobacteria. Plant Physiology 182: 507-517. [6.90]
• Kalra, I., Wang, X., Cvetkovska, M., Jeong, J., McHargue, W., Zhang, R., Hüner, N.P.A., Cvetkovska, M. Morgan-Kiss, R.M. ¥ (2020) Chlamydomonas sp. UWO 241 exhibits high cyclic electron flow and rewired metabolism under high salinity. Plant Physiology 183: 588-601.
• Raymond, J.A., Morgan-Kiss, R., and Stahl-Rommel, S.** (2020) Glycerol is an osmoprotectant in two Antarctic Chlamydomonas species from an ice-covered saline lake and is synthesized by an unusual bidomain enzyme. Frontiers in Plant Science 11: 1259-1259.
• Schutte, C.A., Samarkin, V.A., Peters, B., Madigan, M.T., Bowles, M., Morgan‐Kiss, R., Casciotti, K. and Joye, S. (2020) Vertical stratification and stability of biogeochemical processes in the deep saline waters of Lake Vanda, Antarctica. Limnology and Oceanography, 65: 569-581.
• Li, W., Dore, J.E., Steigmeyer, A.J., Cho, Y.J., Kim, O.S., Liu, Y., Morgan‐Kiss, R.M., Skidmore, M.L. and Priscu, J.C. (2020) Methane production in the oxygenated water column of a perennially ice‐covered Antarctic lake. Limnology and Oceanography, 65: 143-156.
• Yue L., Kong W., Ji M., Liu J., Morgan-Kiss R.M. (2019) Community response of microbial primary producers to salinity is primarily driven by nutrients in lakes. Science of the Total Environment. 696, 134001.
• Smith, D.R., Cvetkovska M., Huner N.P.A., Morgan-Kiss R. (2019) Presence and absence of light-independent chlorophyll biosynthesis among Chlamydomonas green algae in an ice-covered Antarctic lake. Communicative and Integrative Biology. 12: 148-150.
• Kong W., Liu J., Ji M., Yue L., Kang S., Morgan-Kiss R.M. (2019) Autotrophic succession from glacier terminus to downstream waters on the Tibetan Plateau. FEMS Microbiology Ecology. 95.
• Li W., Morgan-Kiss R.M. (2019) Influence of environmental drivers and potential interactions on the distribution of microbial communities from three permanently stratified Antarctic lakes. Frontiers in Microbiology Special Issue: Digitizing the Cryosphere. 10, article 1067. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01067
• Cook G.P., Teufel A.G., Kalra I., Li W., Priscu J.P., Wang X., Morgan-Kiss R.M. (2019) The Antarctic psychrophiles Chlamydomonas spp. UWO241 and ICE-MDV exhibit differential restructuring of Photosystem I in response to iron. Photosynthesis Research. In press. doi: 10.1007/s1112
• Thompson L.R., Sanders J.G., McDonald D., Amir A., Ladau J., Locey K.J., Prill R.J., Tripathi A., Gibbons S.M., Ackermann G., Navas-Molina J.A. and The Earth Microbiome Consortium (consortium authorship). (2017) A communal catalogue reveals Earth’s multiscale microbial diversity Nature. 551: 457-463
• Li W., Dolhi J.M., Cariani Z., Morgan-Kiss R.M. (2019) Drivers of protistan community autotrophy and heterotrophy in chemically stratified Antarctic lakes. Aquatic Microbial Ecology. 82:225-239. doi: 10.3354/ame01891.

Work in Progress

• 2023-2029 National Science Foundation Long Term Ecological Research: LTER- The roles of legacy and ecological connectivity in a polar desert ecosystem
• 2017-2023 National Science Foundation Long Term Ecological Research: LTER- Ecosystem response to amplified landscape connectivity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica.
• 2022-2026 Department of Energy Photosynthetic Systems: Collaborative Research – Dynamics and Consequences of Photosystem I Supercomplexes
• 2020-2023 National Science Foundation Office of Polar ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú: ANT LIA: Collaborative Research: Genetic underpinnings of microbial interactions in chemically stratified Antarctic lakes.

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• Department of Microbiology
• ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Ecological Big Data Initiative