Students Uncover Microbial Secrets of Lake Kerkini with Cutting-Edge DNA Sequencing
A field research trip by students from ACT - The American College of Thessaloniki to the ecologically rich Lake Kerkini in October has yielded fascinating and significant results, confirming the highly dynamic nature of microbial communities within this important aquatic environment.
The student research team successfully executed a comprehensive workflow, beginning with the collection of water samples from diverse points around the lake. Upon returning to the laboratory, they conducted a cutting-edge metagenomic analysis of the resident bacterial populations. The team utilized the portable and powerful MinION sequencing platform (Oxford Nanopore Ltd) to sequence the DNA extracted from the environmental samples.
Crucially, the subsequent data analysis revealed distinct differences in the species diversity and the relative abundance of bacteria when comparing samples taken from various locations along the shoreline. These variations strongly underscored how localized environmental factors, such as nutrient runoff from surrounding land, sediment concentration, and the degree of light penetration, profoundly influence and shape the microbial ecosystem at different points of the lake.
The successful application of this entire process, from hands-on field collection to employing sophisticated sequencing technology and performing complex data analysis, generated results of high scientific value. This achievement has significantly fueled the students' enthusiasm for the fields of microbial ecology and environmental genomics, highlighting ACT's commitment to providing students with practical, high-impact research experience.
