If you could step back to the edge of the solar system...
...and look at our atmosphere...
...what would you see?
Chemical signatures of a living planet!
- Primary production
- Nutrient cycling
- GHG production / consumption
- Influence geology, climate, chemistry, and biology of Earth
Microbial life
(Micro)
Kump, Kasting, and Crane, The Earth System
Microbial life keeps the big wheel turning...
But what about the future?
Microbial life
But what about the future?
(Micro)
Kump, Kasting, and Crane, The Earth System
What effect will anthropogenic pressures such as climate change and coastal eutrophication have on microbial "ecosystem services"?
A "model ecosystem" in Cape Breton
A "model ecosystem" in Cape Breton
- Anoxic, sulfidic waters, model site for coastal deoxygenation
- Metabarcoding & metagenomics → an "ecosystem map" across time and space
- Goal: identify sulfur detoxifiers and understand their resilience to disturbance
- Student projects will contribute to this overall question
Whycocomagh Bay (WB)
A "model ecosystem" in Cape Breton
Holistic ecosystem knowledge
Reductionist (multiple entry points)
Bioinformatics
rRNA-FISH
Cultivation
Diverse entry points for undergrads
Microbiology
Environmental science
Bioinformatics
Evolution, population genetics
Ecosystem modelling, global change biology
Microbial ecology, biogeochemistry
Diverse research questions
Student ownership of projects
- Collaborative project development, real data, relevant skills
Clear expectations
- Regular meetings, collaborative environment → belonging → success
- Will discuss expectations, help scaffold research projects, work on scientific writing together
Mentorship style
Supportive lab environment
Want to know more?
Microbe art: @claudia_traboni
stfxmicroeco.ca | jmcnicho@stfx.ca
2026-2027: aiming to recruit 1-2 students
Furious 3's promo StFX
By jcmcnch
Furious 3's promo StFX
Furious 3s promo
