Hannah Holland-Moritz
@hhollandmoritz.bsky.social
Microbial ecologist. Modeler. Moonlighting historian & language nerd. Opinions and spelling mistakes are my own. (she/her/hers)
Both of these have been such easy wins. They will make life easier for me and my labmates and save us so much money in both materials and person-time. These small win-win-wins are what I need right now.
February 23, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Both of these have been such easy wins. They will make life easier for me and my labmates and save us so much money in both materials and person-time. These small win-win-wins are what I need right now.
Thing 2:
96-well plate washer
Cost:
$2 in plastic
$15 for a pack of 14 gauge cannulae (not pictured)
20 minutes of my time
Commercial cost: $8000
96-well plate washer
Cost:
$2 in plastic
$15 for a pack of 14 gauge cannulae (not pictured)
20 minutes of my time
Commercial cost: $8000
February 23, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Thing 2:
96-well plate washer
Cost:
$2 in plastic
$15 for a pack of 14 gauge cannulae (not pictured)
20 minutes of my time
Commercial cost: $8000
96-well plate washer
Cost:
$2 in plastic
$15 for a pack of 14 gauge cannulae (not pictured)
20 minutes of my time
Commercial cost: $8000
Thing 1: Magnetic bead plate for library prep.
Cost:
$1.50 for plastic
$30 for magnets and their shipping +
20 minutes of my time including: finding the pattern, walking to the maker space, uploading the design, collecting the printed design and putting in the magnets.
Commercial cost: $1106.65
Cost:
$1.50 for plastic
$30 for magnets and their shipping +
20 minutes of my time including: finding the pattern, walking to the maker space, uploading the design, collecting the printed design and putting in the magnets.
Commercial cost: $1106.65
February 23, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Thing 1: Magnetic bead plate for library prep.
Cost:
$1.50 for plastic
$30 for magnets and their shipping +
20 minutes of my time including: finding the pattern, walking to the maker space, uploading the design, collecting the printed design and putting in the magnets.
Commercial cost: $1106.65
Cost:
$1.50 for plastic
$30 for magnets and their shipping +
20 minutes of my time including: finding the pattern, walking to the maker space, uploading the design, collecting the printed design and putting in the magnets.
Commercial cost: $1106.65
Finally: This paper would not have been possible without close collaboration (weekly meetings for 4 yrs!) between the co-first authors: Our expertise included metabolism, community ecology, cutting-edge bioinformatics. We had further collaborations with biogeochemists, and ecosystem ecologists.
February 9, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Finally: This paper would not have been possible without close collaboration (weekly meetings for 4 yrs!) between the co-first authors: Our expertise included metabolism, community ecology, cutting-edge bioinformatics. We had further collaborations with biogeochemists, and ecosystem ecologists.
Ultimately this paper raises important questions for ecology at a time when Anthropocene-Earth faces its most purturbed-state to date: What are the conditions of stability? When do these "stable states in an unstable landscape" hit their tipping points and can we predict it?
February 9, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Ultimately this paper raises important questions for ecology at a time when Anthropocene-Earth faces its most purturbed-state to date: What are the conditions of stability? When do these "stable states in an unstable landscape" hit their tipping points and can we predict it?
And the kicker: Some of those generalists are better indicators of the isotopic composition of methane than methanogens themselves!
February 9, 2025 at 8:57 PM
And the kicker: Some of those generalists are better indicators of the isotopic composition of methane than methanogens themselves!
We were able to show through multi-layer network modeling that strong subcommunities of generalists helped bouy vulnerable specialists from changing conditions, and possibly also help provide nitrogen sources for them.
February 9, 2025 at 8:57 PM
We were able to show through multi-layer network modeling that strong subcommunities of generalists helped bouy vulnerable specialists from changing conditions, and possibly also help provide nitrogen sources for them.
Luckily, because we had so much multi-layered 'omics and biogeochemical data, we were able to tease apart likely reasons for the stability of microbes in each thaw stage habitat: Functional redundancy and possible community 'rescue' through high dispersal rates in a water-logged habitat.
February 9, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Luckily, because we had so much multi-layered 'omics and biogeochemical data, we were able to tease apart likely reasons for the stability of microbes in each thaw stage habitat: Functional redundancy and possible community 'rescue' through high dispersal rates in a water-logged habitat.
We grappled with the definition of stability, and how and when it applied. We also looked at other long-term studies to try to determine if our findings were unique, or if this was a general rule of microbial communities. (I lean towards the general rule side of the debate).
February 9, 2025 at 8:57 PM
We grappled with the definition of stability, and how and when it applied. We also looked at other long-term studies to try to determine if our findings were unique, or if this was a general rule of microbial communities. (I lean towards the general rule side of the debate).
We took a "leave-no-stone-unturned" approach: looking at organisms, functions, and community organization across multiple levels of granularity to prove to ourselves, beyond a doubt that the communities not only demonstrated resistance to change, but also hints of resilience.
February 9, 2025 at 8:57 PM
We took a "leave-no-stone-unturned" approach: looking at organisms, functions, and community organization across multiple levels of granularity to prove to ourselves, beyond a doubt that the communities not only demonstrated resistance to change, but also hints of resilience.
Next came our hardest tasks yet, 1) proving to ourselves that what we were really seeing was true 'stability' 2) trying to figure out why these communities showed such resistance to change.
February 9, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Next came our hardest tasks yet, 1) proving to ourselves that what we were really seeing was true 'stability' 2) trying to figure out why these communities showed such resistance to change.
You might notice that all of these questions revolved around a constant: change. The one thing we *didn't* expect to see was a stable community.
And yet... each line of evidence we looked into, suggested just that. A surprising stability, & resistance to change in the communities in each habitat.
And yet... each line of evidence we looked into, suggested just that. A surprising stability, & resistance to change in the communities in each habitat.
February 9, 2025 at 8:57 PM
You might notice that all of these questions revolved around a constant: change. The one thing we *didn't* expect to see was a stable community.
And yet... each line of evidence we looked into, suggested just that. A surprising stability, & resistance to change in the communities in each habitat.
And yet... each line of evidence we looked into, suggested just that. A surprising stability, & resistance to change in the communities in each habitat.
Microbial activity is well-known for being sensitive to to temperature so we wanted to investigate how the changes over 7 years affected the microbial communities in these habitats. How had they changed? Where there any new functions? What processes where shaping their interactions?
February 9, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Microbial activity is well-known for being sensitive to to temperature so we wanted to investigate how the changes over 7 years affected the microbial communities in these habitats. How had they changed? Where there any new functions? What processes where shaping their interactions?
Stordalen Mire is underlain by permafrost which thawing rapidly, shifting the landscape from carbon-sink to potential carbon source. This carbon release is mediated by microbes that inhabit the three "canonical" habitats in the Mire that form a permafrost thaw gradient (Palsas -> Bogs -> Fens).
February 9, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Stordalen Mire is underlain by permafrost which thawing rapidly, shifting the landscape from carbon-sink to potential carbon source. This carbon release is mediated by microbes that inhabit the three "canonical" habitats in the Mire that form a permafrost thaw gradient (Palsas -> Bogs -> Fens).
I (and most of the first-authors) came late to the game on this data - we stand on the shoulders of 10+ years of giants. Each year a field team from @emerge-bii.bsky.social has painstakingly collected 'omics, biogeochemical, and carbon flux data from Stordalen Mire in Sweden.
February 9, 2025 at 8:57 PM
I (and most of the first-authors) came late to the game on this data - we stand on the shoulders of 10+ years of giants. Each year a field team from @emerge-bii.bsky.social has painstakingly collected 'omics, biogeochemical, and carbon flux data from Stordalen Mire in Sweden.
While your point stands, I want to point out that while it may seem like the same fire, the two fires are distinct, just happening at the same time and nearby. In fact residents of Altadena are feeling like they have to compete for media attention drawn by the more affluent Palisades area.
January 13, 2025 at 1:01 PM
While your point stands, I want to point out that while it may seem like the same fire, the two fires are distinct, just happening at the same time and nearby. In fact residents of Altadena are feeling like they have to compete for media attention drawn by the more affluent Palisades area.
Absolutely. The only good thing about not being there right now is I can help get information to those who are. (Been listening to the scanner almost non-stop the last 3 days)
January 11, 2025 at 4:48 AM
Absolutely. The only good thing about not being there right now is I can help get information to those who are. (Been listening to the scanner almost non-stop the last 3 days)
I babysat and tutored younger kids on the street. It wasn't an affluent neighborhood (despite what people say about those who live in LA suburbs), its wealth was people and love. This is what I and others who call Altadena home have truly lost. Not just homes, and physical property but community.
January 11, 2025 at 4:42 AM
I babysat and tutored younger kids on the street. It wasn't an affluent neighborhood (despite what people say about those who live in LA suburbs), its wealth was people and love. This is what I and others who call Altadena home have truly lost. Not just homes, and physical property but community.
stretched a volleyball net across the street. Kids played at each others houses, adults were kind and caring to all the kids on the block.
January 11, 2025 at 4:42 AM
stretched a volleyball net across the street. Kids played at each others houses, adults were kind and caring to all the kids on the block.
That neighborhood is still the standard of the community I aspire to live in. We had yearly block parties where neighbors would invade our kitchen for the night, marinating for tomorrow's BBQ - one man volunteered his yard for a bounce house (his kids were grown), and we...
January 11, 2025 at 4:42 AM
That neighborhood is still the standard of the community I aspire to live in. We had yearly block parties where neighbors would invade our kitchen for the night, marinating for tomorrow's BBQ - one man volunteered his yard for a bounce house (his kids were grown), and we...