Collaborative Research: Function, activity, and adaptation of microbial communities in geochemically diverse subseafloor habitats

合作研究：地球化学多样化的海底生境中微生物群落的功能、活动和适应

• 批准号: 0929167
• 负责人: Julie Huber
• 金额: $ 47.06万
• 依托单位: Marine Biological Laboratory
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-15 至 2013-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0929167&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Function; activity; adaptation

The integration of both laboratory and field-based chemical and microbiological measurements into a quantitative predictive framework is crucial to understanding the microbial ecology of marine systems. This project work will provide a quantitative assessment of the functional diversity, activity, and physiological adaptation of microbial communities in geochemically diverse subseafloor habitats. Results will guide development of models for linking biogeochemical processes with particular microbial communities at deep-sea hydrothermal vents, with implications for other marine habitats as well. The focus of the effort is at Axial Seamount, a well-studied, active, deep-sea hydrothermal seamount in the NE Pacific Ocean. Samples already collected from Axial, along with a field program in Year 2, will serve as the foundation for the three objectives, which are to: 1. Determine and quantify the functional diversity and activity (expression) of key subseafloor microbial lineages at Axial Seamount. 2. Determine physiological adaptations to the subseafloor habitat by quantifying the growth response of Axial Seamount isolates to in-situ geochemical parameters. 3. Develop a quantitative predictive framework for linking particular types of geochemical vent conditions with specific microbial functional groups and activities at Axial Seamount. Specific outcomes of this project include the creation of a comprehensive quantitative microbiological and chemical dataset on diffuse and adjacent high-temperature vents within Axial Seamount. This database will include chemical measurements (gases, nutrients, metals, isotopes, and calculated Gibbs free energies) relevant to microbial metabolic processes that can be compared to microbiological data (abundance and activity of microbial lineages and functional genes, growth rates of subseafloor isolates at relevant environmental conditions) using statistical analysis to identify how specific microbial activity is linked to the geochemical environment. This project builds on previous studies of microbial population structure and geochemical measurements at Axial Seamount and addresses critical gaps in current knowledge and understanding that are impeding progress of modeling hydrothermal systems. Results will increase understanding of deep-sea hydrothermal ecosystems as well as provide new insights into controls on the distribution and activity of marine microbial communities throughout the world's oceans. Broader Impacts: This project is interdisciplinary in nature, at the interface of microbial ecology and deep-sea oceanography with direct links to international and national research and educational organizations. Methods development and results from this work will complement current subseafloor investigations at ridge flanks and active hydrothermal systems, including the NSF-Microbial Observatory on the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the North Pacific and the upcoming Integrated Ocean Drilling Program's North Pond expedition in the North Atlantic, as well as integrate with the newly developed NSF Research Coordination Network focused on the deep biosphere. Undergraduate and graduate students will be involved in curriculum development and laboratory and field research, allowing for one-on-one mentoring opportunities at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and Northwest Florida State College (NWF). In addition, the project includes a unique education and outreach effort that links MBL, a research institution, with NWF, a community college, in order to impact a group traditionally far removed from research science. During the three-year project, four community college students from NWF will actively participate in a research program at MBL through an internship opportunity. In addition, a classroom module incorporating real scientific data from this research program will be developed to greatly expand the number of community college students impacted by the work. Through the partnership, real cutting-edge science will be accessible to NWF students. Dissemination of the developed module to other community college instructors will facilitate an even broader impact, and this novel education and outreach effort will serve as a model to promote other researcher-community college teacher partnership programs.

将实验室和现场化学​​和微生物测量整合到定量预测框架中对于了解海洋系统的微生物生态至关重要。该项目工作将对地球化学多样化的海底生境中微生物群落的功能多样性、活动和生理适应进行定量评估。研究结果将指导模型的开发，将生物地球化学过程与深海热液喷口的特定微生物群落联系起来，这也对其他海洋栖息地产生影响。这项工作的重点是轴向海山，这是一个经过充分研究的、活跃的深海热液海山，位于太平洋东北部。从 Axial 收集的样本以及第二年的实地计划将作为三个目标的基础，这三个目标是： 1. 确定和量化 Axial 海山关键海底微生物谱系的功能多样性和活动（表达） 。 2. 通过量化轴向海山隔离群对原位地球化学参数的生长响应，确定对海底栖息地的生理适应。 3. 制定定量预测框架，将特定类型的地球化学喷口条件与轴海山的特定微生物功能群和活动联系起来。该项目的具体成果包括创建关于轴向海山内扩散和邻近高温喷口的全面定量微生物和化学数据集。该数据库将包括与微生物代谢过程相关的化学测量（气体、营养物、金属、同位素和计算的吉布斯自由能），这些测量可与微生物数据（微生物谱系和功能基因的丰度和活性、海底分离株的生长速率）进行比较。相关的环境条件）使用统计分析来确定特定的微生物活动如何与地球化学环境相关。该项目建立在之前对轴海山微生物种群结构和地球化学测量的研究的基础上，并解决了当前知识和理解中阻碍热液系统建模进展的关键差距。研究结果将增进对深海热液生态系统的了解，并为控制世界各地海洋微生物群落的分布和活动提供新的见解。更广泛的影响：该项目本质上是跨学科的，处于微生物生态学和深海海洋学的交汇处，与国际和国家研究和教育组织有直接联系。这项工作的方法开发和结果将补充当前在山脊侧翼和活跃热液系统的海底调查，包括北太平洋胡安德富卡海脊的 NSF 微生物观测站和即将进行的综合海洋钻探计划的北大西洋北池塘探险，以及与新开发的专注于深层生物圈的 NSF 研究协调网络整合。本科生和研究生将参与课程开发以及实验室和实地研究，从而获得在海洋生物实验室（MBL）和西北佛罗里达州立大学（NWF）一对一指导的机会。此外，该项目还包括一项独特的教育和外展工作，将研究机构 MBL 与社区学院 NWF 联系起来，以影响传统上远离研究科学的群体。在为期三年的项目中，来自 NWF 的四名社区学院学生将通过实习机会积极参与 MBL 的研究项目。此外，还将开发一个包含来自该研究项目的真实科学数据的课堂模块，以大大增加受该工作影响的社区学院学生的数量。通过此次合作，NWF 的学生将能够接触到真正的尖端科学。将开发的模块传播给其他社区大学教师将产生更广泛的影响，这种新颖的教育和推广工作将成为促进其他研究人员-社区大学教师合作项目的典范。