Geomicrobiology and Biogeochemistry Lab Practical

Abstract

1. Analysis of organic molecules in extracts from soils of different ages in glacial flood fields, in altitudinal gradients from different bedrocks, from sediments, from Cryoconites in glacial ice and from living biofilms in high altitude aquatic ecosystems, and from mineral springs.2. Analysis of matrix components of the ecosystems: dissolved compounds, minerals, clays, trace metals.

Objective

The student will be able - to design strategies for collecting samples in the field suitable for subsequent analyses in the laboratory - to critically evaluate his/her own analytical data and put it into a scientific context.

Content

1. Preparing field work based on research hypotheses. 2. Designing field sampling strategies, proper sampling collection and preservation. 3. Documenting environmental conditions and observations at the sampling sites. 4. Extracting organic molecules from environmental samples with different matrixes. 5. Working under clean conditions and handling samples without contaminating them. 6. Discussing the results and documenting the outcomes in a scientific report. This Lab Practical, together with the corresponding Field Trips form part of a continuing "Course Research" unit. During the field section in the Eastern Alps, we will visit a number of sites that offer - different bedrocks (dolomite, gneiss, shale, serpentinite, radiolarite, mine tailings) and will study the organics in the soils that formed on them. - aquatic ecosystems (lakes, rivers, springs) at high altitudes and greatly varying salinities and redox conditions. - glacial ice (organics in Cryoconites and in ice) - organics from pioneering colonizer organisms in lakes formed during the recent retreat of glaciers. - sediments recently deposited in lakes and flood planes as well as shales that date back to the Mesozoic. Procedures for sampling, sample preparation and processing (extraction, analyses) will be defined on the first day of the field course.

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