Mx Jasmin Millar

(they/them)

MBiol, PhD

Publication

• Date
• Type

Research

Organisation of Glacier Algae on Ice Surfaces

Streptophyte glacier ice algae are of considerable interest as they are the major primary producers on many glacier and ice sheet surfaces, and contributors to glacier melt through their impact on bioalbedo (darkening of the ice surface). Satellite and drone imagery can reveal the distribution on the macro scale, but the micro scale remains unexplored. I am currently investigating the distribution and transport of cells across the ice at the millimeter scale, using in situ microscopy which is then analysed using bespoke machine learning pipelines.  

Surviving the Cryogenian Snowball Earth

During the Cryogenian period, 720-635 million years ago, the Earth experienced two global glaciations. Some believe ice stretched from the poles to the equator. Yet soon after, animals and plants appear on the fossil record. So how did life survive this Snowball Earth?
By studying modern glacial ecosystems, I identify communities, organisms and biological survival strategies that can be used as analogues to learn about Snowball Earth life.

Methods used: DNA and RNA sequencing, in situ and ex situ PAM-fluorometry, growth/respiration experiments under Snowball Earth conditions

Lipid Profile of the Cryospheric Microbiome 

Lipid biomarkers, such as intact polar lipids (IPLs), heterocyte glycolipids (HGs), and bacteriohopanepolyols (BHPs) can reveal the chemotaxonomic composition of active microbial communities. As mebrane lipids are the first line of interaction with the extracellular world, they also provide insights into organism-environment interactions. We study the lipid composition of cold climate microorganisms to discover which organisms are active in these harsh environments and how they are behaving.

Key Collaborations:

https://microlabbristol.org/

https://microlabbristol.org/casp-ice/

Biography

Lecturer in Glaciology, Cardiff University 
Researching the relationship between glacier algal ecology and the ice environment

Post-doctoral reseach associate on the Ice-Dependant Adaptations for Plant Terrestrialisation project, University of Bristol
Photophysiology, microbiology and fieldwork lead. Measuring in situ activity and distribution of stretophyte glacier algae on Arctic and Alpine glaciers. 

PhD studentship, Cardiff University and the Natural History Museum London
"Capability of Glacier Surface Ecosystems as Refuges for Life on the Cryogenian Snowball Earth"