Position - Director, Institute for Microbial Biotechnology and Metagenomics, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa

Nationality/where you work - New Zealander, working in the Dry Valleys

Number of Seasons on the ice - 10

100 words about your scientific interest

The Institute for Microbial Biotechnology and Metagenomics has a large Antarctic research program, focussing on three themes: (i)  Microbial ecology and function of cryptic Antarctic microbial communities, and the relevance on microenvironmental parameters (ii) Phylogenetic and culturable diversity of actinomycetes in Antarctic desert soils, and (iii) Searching for novel genes using metagenomic gene discovery methods.

100 words about what you do for ICTAR    

I have worked with Alan Green and Craig Cary and other members of the ICTAR team since 1999, and have led a study on the microbial ecology and function of cryptic microbial communities, most notably the hypolithic communities which are common in the Dry Valleys systems which have appropriate geology (outcrops of translucent quartz or marble).  Together and separately, we have published 25 research papers and book chapters from these studies.

Contact information: Institute for Microbial Biotechnology and Metagenomics, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, Cape Town, South Africa

Your email address- dcowan@uwc.ac.za

Mailing address- as above

Phone number- +27 21 959 2083

 

References

1. 1.     Cowan, DA, Ah Tow, L, Smith, JJ, Cary, C, Moodley, K. (2005) Microbial molecular ecology of Antarctic mineral soil biotopes. In Antarctica; Global Laboratory for Scientific and International Collaboration, A. Tan, Z Yasin, M Mansor, eds., Academy of Sciences Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, pp. 113-118.
2. 2.     Russell, NR and Cowan, DA. (2006) Methods for the handling of psychrophiles microorganisms. Ch. in Methods in Microbiology. Vol. 35, Oren, A, & Rainey, F, eds.  838pp. [ISBN 978-0-12-521537-4].
3. 3.     Cowan, DA, Casanueva, A, Stafford, W. (2007) Ecology and biodiversity of cold-adapted organisms. Ch. 9 in Physiology and Biochemistry of Extremophiles. Gerday, C., Glansdorff, N., eds. ASM Press, Washington DC,  pp. 119-133.
4. 4.     Sjoling, S, Cowan, DA. (2008) Metagenomics – microbial community genomes revealed. Ch. 20 in Psychrophiles: from Biodiversity to Biotechnology. Margesin, R.; Schinner, F.; Marx, J.-C.; Gerday, C. (Eds.) 462 pp. ISBN: 978-3-540-74334-7
5. 5.     Cowan, DA, Khan, N, Heath, C, Mutondo, M. (2010) Microbiology of Antarctic terrestrial soils and rocks. Ch. 1 in Polar Microbiology: The Ecology, Biodiversity and Bioremediation Potential of Microorganisms in Extremely Cold Environments. Atlas, R, Aislabie, J, Bej, A, Eds. CRC Press, pp. 1-30
6. 6.     Kirby, BM, Le Roes-Hill, M, Cary, SC, Burton, SG, Tuffin, IM, Cowan, DA. (2010) Actinobacterial diversity associated with Antarctic Dry Valley mineral soils. Ch. 13 in Handbook of Molecular Microbial Ecology II: Metagenomics in Different Habitats, Frans J. de Bruijn, Ed.,  John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey. In Press.
7. 7.     Cowan, D.A., Mamais, A. Sheppard, D, Russell, N (2002) Antarctic Dry Valley mineral soils contain unexpectedly high levels of microbial biomass. Extremophiles 6:431-436.
8. 8.     Baker, G, Ah Tow, L, Cowan, DA (2003) Detection of non-indigenous micro-organisms in ‘pristine’ environments. J. Microbiol. Methods 53:157-164.
9. 9.     Sjoling, S, Cowan, DA (2003) High 16S rDNA bacterial diversity in glacial meltwater lake sediment, Bratina Island, Antarctica, Extremophiles 7:275-282.
10. 10.  Cowan, DA, Ah Tow, L (2004) Endangered Antarctic microbial communities. Ann. Rev. Microbiol. 58, 649-690.
11. 11.  Ah Tow, L, Cowan, DA. (2005) Dissemination and survival of non-indigenous bacterial genomes in pristine Antarctic environments. Extremophiles 9:385-389.
12. 12.  Smith, JJ, Ah Tow, L, Stafford, W, Cary, C, Cowan, DA (2006) Bacterial diversity in three different Antarctic cold desert mineral soils, Microb. Ecol. 51:413-421
13. 13.  Cowan, DA, Casanueva, A. (2007) Stability of ATP in Antarctic desert soils. Polar Biology, 30:1599-1603.
14. 14.  Wood SA, Rueckert A, Cowan DA, Cary SC. (2008) Aquatic cyanobacteria, important contributors to edaphic cyanobacterial diversity in the Dry Valleys of Eastern Antarctica? ISME J.  2:308-320
15. 15.  Babalola, OO, Kirby, BM, Le Roes-Hill, M, Cook, AE, Cary, SC, Burton, SG, Cowan, DA. (2009) Phylogenetic analysis of actinobacterial populations associated with Antarctic Dry Valley mineral soils. Envir. Microbiol. 11:566-576
16. 16.  le Roes-Hill, M, Rohland, J, Meyers, PR, Cowan, DA, Burton, SG. (2009) Streptomyces hypolithicus sp. nov., a novel streptomycete isolated from a hypolith community, Antarctica. Int. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 59:2033-2036
17. 17.  Heath, C, Hu, XP, Cary, SC, Cowan, DA. (2009) Isolation and characterisation of a novel, low-temperature-active alkaliphilic esterase from an Antarctic desert soil metagenome. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75:4657-4659
18. 18.  Cowan, DA (2009) Cryptic microbial communities in Antarctic deserts. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci, USA. 106:19749-19750
19. 19.  Wong FK, Lau MC, Lacap DC, Aitchison JC, Cowan DA, Pointing SB (2009) Endolithic Microbial Colonization of Limestone in a High-altitude Arid Environment. Microb. Ecol. Nov 25 [Epub ahead of print]
20. 20.  Cary, SC, McDonald, I, Barrett, JE and Cowan, DA. (2010) On the rocks: Microbial ecology of Antarctic cold desert soils.  Nature Rev. Microbiol.  8:129-138.
21. 21.  Wong, FKY, Lacap, DC, Lau, MCY, Aitchison, JC, Cowan, DA, Pointing, SB. (2010) Hypolithic microbial community of quartz pavement in the high-altitude tundra of central Tibet. Microb. Ecol. Mar 25 [Epub ahead of print]
22. 22.  Cowan, DA, Khan, N, Pointing, S, Cary, SC. (2010) Diverse hypolithic refuge communities in Antarctic Dry Valleys, Antarctic Science. In Press.
23. 23.  Casanueva, A., Cary, SC and Cowan, DA. (2010) The impact of ‘omic’ technologies on studies of microbial psychrophily. Trends Microbiol. 18:374-381.
24. 24.  Cowan DA, Pointing SB, Stevens MI, Cary SC, Stomeo F, Tuffin IM. Distribution and abiotic influences on hypolithic microbial communities in an Antarctic Dry Valley. Polar Biol.  Accepted for publication