Researchers find high microbial diversity in glacial streams

Swiss researchers have discovered an incredible diversity of microorganisms in glacial streams around the world. However, this diversity is under threat as soon as it is discovered. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox For over five years, a team led by scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) has collected and analysed samples from 170 glacial streams around the world. The aim of the project, called "Vanishing Glaciers", is uncover some of the characteristics and strategies that microorganisms have developed to survive in the extreme ecosystems of glacier-fed streams. Their results were published this week in two studies in the journals Nature and Nature Microbiology. The researchers show that these streams have a high microbial diversity. + Study predicts demise of European glaciers by 2100 if no action taken "Glacial streams are the most extreme freshwater ecosystems on Earth," research leader Tom Battin told the ...