In a new study in the American Society for Microbiology Journal, PhD candidate Yunha Hwang and Professor Peter Girguis compared the genetic diversity of one of the most abundant marine archaeal populations between pacific and atlantic ocean basins to address a fundamental question of how a genetically defined microbial population adapts across diverse environments. The study revealed that these populations feature distinctly different patterns of genetic diversification depending on the selective pressures of habitats.
Hwang and GIrguis's study is the first in-depth comparative analysis into the population genetics of a biogeochemically important archaeal species mediating global nitrogen and carbon cycles. Their findings also have broader implications, particularly in understanding the population-level responses of microbes to the changing climate and predicting its impact on biogeochemical cycles.