Trista Vick-Majors

Contact

tjvickma@mtu.edu
GLRC 220

Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences

PhD, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University
MSc, Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University
BA, Biology, Colorado College

Biography

I am a microbial ecologist who studies the reciprocal relationships between microbial communities and biogeochemical processes in aquatic ecosystems. Microorganisms are widespread in the environment and are responsible for driving key elemental transformations that control the quality of our water and influence the greenhouse gas concentrations in our atmosphere. I am interested in understanding how physical and chemical characteristics interact with microbial communities and influence or are influenced by microbial metabolism and diversity. My work is also aimed at understanding energetic constraints on microbial metabolism that may result from ecosystem change or seasonal change, such as the formation of ice-cover. Field work locales span temperate environments with seasonal ice-cover, where rapid environmental change is affecting ice duration and thickness, and polar environments where ice-cover can be a permanent fixture. My research occurs at the interface of microbial ecology and biogeochemistry.

Links of Interest:

Faculty Webpage

Google Scholar Profile

Subglacial Antarctic Lakes

Winter Network Project

Positions Available

Graduate Assistantships in Microbial Ecology, Winter Limnology, and Organic Matter Biogeochemistry

Research Interests

Microbial Ecology
Biogeochemistry
Limnology
Cryosphere

Recent Publications

Venturelli, R. A., Boehman, B., Davis, C., Hawkings, J. R., Johnston, S. E., Gustafson, C. D., Michaud, A. B., Mosbeux, C., Siegfried, M. R., Vick-Majors, T. J., Galy, V., Spencer, R. G. M., Warny, S., Christner, B. C., Fricker, H. A., Harwood, D. M., Leventer, A., Priscu, J. C., Rosenheim, B. E. 2023. Constraints on the Timing and Extent of Deglacial Grounding Line Retreat in West Antarctica from Subglacial Sediments. AGU Advances. In Press.
Davis C. L., Venturelli R. A., Michaud A.B., Hawkings J. R., Achberger A. M., Vick-Majors T. J., Rosenheim B. E., Dore J. E., Steigmeyer A., Skidmore M. L., Barker J. D., Benning L.G., Siegfried, M. R., Priscu, J. C., Christner, B. C. 2023. Biogeochemical and historical drivers of microbial community composition and structure in sediments from Mercer Subglacial Lake, West Antarctica. ISME Comm. 3:8.
Elser, J. J., Devlin, S.P., Yu, J., Baumann, A., Church, M.J., Dore, J.E., Hall Jr., R.O., Hollar, M., Johnson, T., Vick-Majors, T.J., White, C. (2022). Sustained stoichiometric imbalance and its ecological consequences in a large oligotrophic lake. PNAS. 119:30 e2202268119.
Venturelli, R.A., Vick-Majors, T.J., Collins, B., Gagnon, A., Kasic, K., Kurz, M.D., Li, W., Priscu, J.C., Roberts, M., Rosenheim, B.E. (2021). A Framework for Transdisciplinary Radiocarbon Research: Use of Natural-Level and Elevated-Level ¹⁴C in Antarctic Field Research. Radiocarbon. 63:5. doi:10.1017/RDC.2021.55
Priscu, J.C., Kalin, J., Winans, J., Campbell, T., Siegfried, M.R., Vick-Majors, T.J., Elsworth, C., SALSA Science Team. (2021). Scientific access into Mercer Subglacial Lake: scientific objectives, drilling operations, and initial observations. Annals of Glaciology. 1-13. doi:10.1017/aog.2021.10
Michaud, A.B., Vick-Majors, T.J., Achberger, A.A., Skidmore, M.L., Christner, B.C., Tranter, M., Priscu, J.C. (2020). Environmentally clean access to Antarctic subglacial aquatic environments. Antarctic Science. 1-12. doi: 10.1017/S0954102020000231
Vick-Majors, T.J., Michaud, A.B., Skidmore, M.L., Turetta, C., Barbante, C., Christner, B.C., Dore, J.E., Christianson, K., Mitchell, A.C., Achberger, A.A., Mikucki, J.A., Priscu, J.C. (2020). Biogeochemical connectivity between freshwater ecosystems beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and the sub-ice marine environment. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 34:e2019GB006446. doi:10.1029%2F2019gb006446
Santibáñez, P., Michaud, A.B., Vick-Majors, T.J., D’Andrilli, J., Chiuchiolo, A., Hand, K.P., Priscu, J.C. (2019). Preferential incorporation of bacteria into lake ice covers during freezing. Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences. 124:585-600. doi: 10.1029/2018JG004825
Vick-Majors, T.J. and Priscu, J.C. (2019). Inorganic carbon fixation in lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Antarctic Science. 31:123-132. doi:10.1017/S0954102019000075
Stelmach, K.B., Neveu, M., Vick-Majors, T.J., Mickol, R., Chou, L., Webster, K.D., Tilley, M., Zacchei, F., Escudero, C., Flores, Martinez, C.L., Labrado, A., Fernandez, E.J.G. (2018). Secondary electrons as an energy source for life. Astrobiology. 18:73-85. doi: 10.1089/ast.2016.1510
Vick-Majors, T.J., Mitchell, A.C., Achberger, A.M., Christner, B.C., Dore, J.E., Michaud, A.B., Mikucki, J.A., Purcell, A.M., Skidmore, M.L. and Priscu, J.C. (2016). Physiological ecology of microorganisms in Subglacial Lake Whillans. Frontiers in Microbiology. 7:1705. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01705