@fischerlab.bsky.social
Explorer of the viral universe. Advocate of exotic microbes.
Not quite the fieldwork you expect to do at a marine research institute, but that did now stop @fischerlab.bsky.social! 🏔️
With his team, he climbed the Alps to hunt for giant #viruses – almost the size of #bacteria and have been unexplored in many aspects.
#CAPSOLUTION
www.mpg.de/my-science-a...
Locations of the 31 mountain lakes across five regions of the European Alps that we sampled this summer.
Thanks everyone for your time commitment and hard work - a truly collective effort! With @maxemilschon.bsky.social, @lqueiss.bsky.social, @drjmpetersen.bsky.social, @sumayrasultanji.bsky.social, @hoeferlab.bsky.social, and the rest of the team.
Now the lab work begins! Here are some of our microbial enrichment cultures from the mountain lakes.
The precious collection of filter concentrates for DNA sequencing, light/electron microscopy analysis, and virus isolation.
The 2025 #CAPSOLUTION expedition is finished!
To sample microbes from 31 mountain lakes across the Alps, we drove 5400 km, hiked 130 km and climbed 10,000 m with our gear, braved snow- and thunderstorms, and filtered 4000 L of water. Well done everyone!!
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social
@erc.europa.eu
Lacs de Vens with the perfectly situated refuge on the left.
The upper lake with its prime marmot real estate.
Our first attempt to sample the upper lake was cut short by a thunder/hail storm, that replaced the sunny skies within half an hour.
Our team for the last leg of the 2025 expedition! With @sumayrasultanji.bsky.social and @hoeferlab.bsky.social
Our final lakes for this expedition were the two largest of the Lacs de Vens in Mercantour National Park, France. One of the longer hikes, but as we stayed at the rustic hut (refuge) nearby, we could finish the filtration the following day.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social
@erc.europa.eu
Grand Lac de Marinet, which is fed by nearby rock glaciers - the southernmost in the French Alps.
Descending to Grand Lac de Marinet while the Aiguille de Chambeyron (3412 m) is towering behind us. With @sumayrasultanji.bsky.social and @hoeferlab.bsky.social
Our filtration setup is butterfly approved!
The sampling spot at Lac d'Allos. Luckily, the thunderclouds just missed us.
The Grand Lac de Marinet (2540 m) near Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye is well worth a visit, and so is Lac d'Allos (2230 m) in Mercantour National Park. However, be prepared for long drives on narrow & windy mountain roads!
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
Lac Sainte-Anne is a popular hiking destination in Queyras Regional Park. It has no apparent inlet or outlet, as these are located underwater.
The clear waters of Lac Sainte-Anne enabled efficient filtration.
Aerial perspective of Lac Miroir and its surrounding vegetation.
Lac Miroir challenged us with frequent filter changes. It was a busy afternoon for @sumayrasultanji.bsky.social, @hoeferlab.bsky.social, and the rest of the team!
In the French Alps, we visited the community of Ceillac (merci for the warm welcome!) and sampled Lac Sainte-Anne (2414 m) and the neighboring Lac Miroir (2215 m). A hot day for hiking with heavy equipment!
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
Lac des Vaux is situated in the popular ski area of Verbier. With @hoeferlab.bsky.social and @maxemilschon.bsky.social.
Lake Stellisee with the iconic Matterhorn (4478 m) in the back.
Sampling the waters of Stellisee.
@hoeferlab.bsky.social explaining our research project to tourists!
The last two lakes we sampled in Switzerland were Lac des Vaux (2543 m) near Verbier, and the highly frequented Stellisee (2537 m) in Zermatt. Thanks to its accessibility and the views of the Matterhorn, we had a lot of outreach to do!
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social
@erc.europa.eu
Lac de Louvie with the snow-covered Grand Combin in the background.
Merci beaucoup à ALTIS et M. Olivier!
A somewhat tricky location for our setup, but it worked!
The samples are all bagged and cooled.
Lac de Louvie (2213 m elevation) was an incredibly stunning place to sample for microbes! Many thanks to altis.swiss for letting us use their maintenance cable car :)
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social
@erc.europa.eu
@hoeferlab.bsky.social
@maxemilschon.bsky.social
Lac de Champex in Champex-Lac, a popular tourist destination in summer and winter.
Keeping the samples cool was a new, but weclome challenge for us on this trip.
The largest one of the lacs de Fenêtre, with the Mont Blanc massif just visible on the far right.
Our fantastic sampling crew for the Swiss leg!
Switzerland welcomed us with summer weather and beautiful mountains! We started with the Lac de Champex (1467 m) which is influenced by human activity, and then hiked up to the Lacs de Fenêtre (2465 m) the next day.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu @hoeferlab.bsky.social
I am not aware of previous phytoplakton studies in this lake, but I would expect that blooms are not uncommon during the summer.
08.08.2025 19:28 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Lago Nero, one of the more accessible mountain lakes on our tour.
Impressive backdrop, but we had little time to admire it.
Millions of microscopic algae turned the waters green.
What species will it be once we analyze the filters in the lab?
Lago Nero (black lake) di Cornisello at 2240 m was rather green when we sampled it. An algal bloom!! This meant changing filters every few minutes.
That night, our faces were of similar color (stomach bug) and we skipped the last lake.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
The Tre Laghi: Upper on the right, middle on the left, lower in the distance.
Team member Tomás measuring physical water parameters such as temperature and pH.
A 5-micrometer filter full of microbes!
Sampling in cold rain is not as much fun as it may look.
Also in Adamello-Brenta, the Tre Laghi are connected by small creeks. We sampled two of them under very different conditions! The upper lake (2289 m) with frequent filter changes in best weather, the lower one (2257 m) much faster in rain.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
With the Brenta Dolomites in view, it's a two-hour hike to the Serodoli/Gelato lakes.
Lago Serodoli
Lago Gelato, icy cold even in late July!
Sampling polar waters can't be that different
Our next set of mountain lakes is located in Italy's Adamella Brenta Nature Park. Lago Serodoli (2370 m elevation) is just downstream of Lago Gelato (2388 m), which lived up to its name and made us shiver with ice-cold winds.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
Dösener See with its active rock glacier in the background
Collecting microbes from Dösener See
Scenic Stappitzer See
Cows and ducks are frequent visitors here
The last two lakes in the High Tauern that we sampled were Dösener See (2270 m elevation, up to 44 m deep), and the shallow Stappitzer See (1273 m elevation) that serves as a contrast point to the mountain lakes above the treeline.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
At 2505 m elevation, Brunnkarsee is a spectacular mountain lake surrounded by rocks and sparse vegetation. The trail was steep and technically challenging with all the gear on our backs, but we returned just in time before the rain came.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
A group of curious locals along the way
Oberer Schwarzhornsee
Unterer Schwarzhornsee (2543 m elevation) with Großelend glacier in the background
Gentiana, but which species?
We are now in the High Tauern National Park in Austria. Fantastic landscapes, warm-hearted people, but the lakes are not that easy to reach! With Oberer Schwarzhornsee at 2650 m elevation, we sampled the highest lake on the tour.
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
Oberer Plenderlessee in the Stubai Alps
Catching a break from the rain at Mittlerer Plenderlessee
Testing if the pumps are waterproof
Dinoflagellates and other protists
The next two lakes on the sampling tour were Upper and Middle Plenderlessee in Austria. We got lots of water from the lakes, and also from the skies... Dinoflagellates live here!
#CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
These are custom-made light-weight aluminium filter holders (142 mm) by our workshop. The steel version was too heavy to carry!
20.07.2025 10:49 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0Hi Oded, sure, I will send you the information once we are back from the tour!
20.07.2025 10:46 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Sampling Blaue Lacke
Grünausee with @lqueiss.bsky.social and @drjmpetersen.bsky.social
Freiger See with its muddy shores
High above Grünausee
The weather improved for our next tour in the Stubai Alps to Blaue Lacke (2287 m), Grünausee (2335 m), and Freiger See (2500 m), three mountain lakes above the treeline. Strenuous hikes alternated with wet & cold weather during filtration. #CAPSOLUTION
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
Advanced sampling conditions for @lqueiss.bsky.social @drjmpetersen.bsky.social
Our home base for the first week was Lake Gossenköllesee at 2416 m elevation. The research station (Univ. of Innsbruck) sheltered us during an unexpected snowstorm in July. See pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33436089 for viruses from this lake!
#CAPSOLUTION @mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu
This week we started the first leg (Stubai Alps) of the #CAPSOLUTION expedition of @fischerlab.bsky.social sampling for giant viruses in high altitude alpine lakes. What an amazing adventure it has been so far! @mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social
12.07.2025 06:32 — 👍 11 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 1
Last week, we started to collect samples from high-altitude Alpine lakes for the ERC-funded #CAPSOLUTION project! Throughout July and August, we will study the diversity of #viruses, #bacteria, and #protists in these extreme environments.
#HorizonEU @erc.europa.eu @mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social
Looking for a postdoc in environmental virology? Fascinated by giant viruses and their glycobiology?
We have a position available at the MPI for Marine Microbiology!
@mpimarinemicrobio.bsky.social @maxplanck.de
career.mpi-bremen.de/jobposting/8...
