Freshwater lake Targeted Locus (Loci)

The Laurentian Great Lakes contain nearly 20% of the planet''s surface freshwater and are of vital economic and social importance. In addition, they are key players in global biogeochemical cycling. To date, freshwater microbial ecology has focused on small, often eutrophic, lakes, and little is known about how microbial community structure and activity differs in much larger “inland seas” like the Laurentian Great Lakes. This project will provide the first comprehensive, cross-lake survey of microbial diversity and activity in the Laurentian Great Lakes.