Quinn Moon

Quinn Moon

Home: University of Vienna
Host: University of Michigan
Topic: Just Scratching the Surface: Exploring the Significance of Deep Earth Eukaryotes to Global Biodiversity and Carbon Cycling

For his proposed project, Quinn aims to investigate the contribution that deep subsurface life (more than 100 meters below the surface) makes to global fungal biodiversity. An increasing number of studies show that eukaryotes are not only present but can also be diverse and abundant in the aquatic pore spaces several hundred meters underground.

By leveraging paired soil and subsurface samples from across the continental United States, Quinn plans to examine how diversity in the deep subsurface compares with that of surface ecosystems.

He is joining Dr. Christian Griebeler’s groundwater ecology group to gain a deeper understanding of the drivers and ecological impacts of subsurface biodiversity.