Collaborative Research: ETBC: Deep Crustal Biosphere: Microbial Cycling of Carbon

合作研究：ETBC：深地壳生物圈：碳的微生物循环

• 批准号: 0948659
• 负责人: Tullis Onstott
• 金额: $ 46.65万
• 依托单位: Princeton University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-10-01 至 2015-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0948659&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; ETBC; Deep; Crustal; Collaborative; Research; ETBC; Deep; Crustal

Intellectual Merit. For the past two decades studies from around the world in a wide variety of geological environments in both continental and marine settings have revealed the extent and variety of subsurface microbial ecosystems. From polar permafrost and ice sheets to equatorial marine sediments, from permeable aquifers ~200 meters deep to fractured rock 4 km deep, from deep vadose zones to oil reservoirs, diverse assemblages of bacteria and archaea, including many novel species, have been discovered. As depth and temperature increase in both the continental and oceanic crust, the effects of changing surface climate and photospheric processes on the subsurface microbial ecosystem diminish while Fisher-Tropsch-like and radiolytic processes, which enrich the crust with a mixture of organic and inorganic nutrients, become increasingly important. Regardless of the origin of the organic carbon, the rules that govern its biodegradation to CO2 and CH4 should be similar to those for petroleum reservoirs. The goals of this project are to determine those rules, determine the rates and limits of the biodegradation of organic matter by subsurface microbial ecosystems, and determine who is responsible. To accomplish these goals, investigators will utilize the readily accessible boreholes present in the mines of the Witwatersrand Basin, South Africa, which range in depth from 0.8 to 3.8 km, to examine the extent of and the inter-species interactions involved in biodegradation of organic photosynthate in shallow depths and abiogenic hydrocarbons at great depth. By employing a combination of 1) GCMS, HPLC, and NMR characterization of the DOC, 2) 13C analyses of DOC, DIC, hydrocarbons, lipids, and organic acids, 3) H isotope analyses of hydrocarbons, 4) 14C analyses of CH4, DIC, DOC, and lipids, and 5) stable isotope probes (SIP) of the 16S rRNA, we will delineate the relative importance of 1) chemoautotrophically produced organic acids, 2) abiogenically produced hydrocarbons, 3) thermogenically produced organic acids and 4) dissolved organic matter (DOC) from the surface photosphere, to the subsurface microbial community structure and its trophic interactions during carbon metabolism. These analyses will be performed on planktonic microbial communities collected from fracture water ranging in age from thousands of years to tens of millions of years. Broader Impacts. The program of study will engage undergraduates and graduates in hands-on interdisciplinary research where they will integrate isotope geochemistry and organic geochemical analyses with genetic analyses. Students from North America and South Africa will participate in the field and laboratory research as part of an ongoing collaboration with South African scientists. The RNA-SIP incubation experiments will be accompanied by isolation experiments that will further enlarge the subsurface culture collection and genetic database at the Univ. of Free State (UFS) and enhance their bioremediation and biotechnology efforts. The project will begin to integrate the genetic, taxonomic and functional diversity with respect to carbon metabolism. Investigators will work to assemble a web-based subsurface microbial database with a gallery of SEM/TEM images of subsurface microorganisms that can be downloaded for press releases; and as part of the gallery we will initiate a "Where in the world does this organism occur?" describing where related strains or sequences have been found. The web site will provide the beginnings of a microbial biogeographical database for the deep subsurface. When permitted by the mining companies videos of the sampling expeditions will be posted on the web site. The project will also provide fundamental scientific underpinnings for optimal exploitation of untapped natural gas reservoirs in the Witwatersrand Basin and for the development of CO2 sequestration projects in South Africa by private firms

智力优点。 在过去的二十年中，来自大陆和海洋环境中各种地质环境中的各种地质​​环境的研究揭示了地下微生物生态系统的程度和种类。 从极性多年冻土和冰盖到赤道海洋沉积物，从可渗透的含水层深约200米，到4公里深的岩石，从深vadose区到油储层，细菌和古细菌的各种组合，包括许多新颖物种，都发现了各种各样的岩石。 随着大陆和海洋壳的深度和温度的升高，地下气候和光晶过程对地下微生物生态系统的影响减小，而Fisher-Tropsch样和放射性流过程则越来越重要。 不管有机碳的起源如何，控制其生物降解至CO2和CH4的规则应与石油储层的规则相似。 该项目的目标是确定这些规则，通过地下微生物生态系统确定有机物生物降解的速率和限制，并确定谁负责。为了实现这些目标，调查人员将利用南非的Witwatersrand盆地矿山中容易获得的井眼，该井在0.8至3.8 km的深度范围内，以研究有机光合作用的生物降低的浅水和基因源性水力源性的物种相互作用的程度和种间相互作用。 By employing a combination of 1) GCMS, HPLC, and NMR characterization of the DOC, 2) 13C analyses of DOC, DIC, hydrocarbons, lipids, and organic acids, 3) H isotope analyses of hydrocarbons, 4) 14C analyses of CH4, DIC, DOC, and lipids, and 5) stable isotope probes (SIP) of the 16S rRNA, we将描绘出1）化学自由型产生的有机酸的相对重要性，2）生物生成产生的烃，3）3）热产生的有机酸和4）从表面照相光中溶解的有机物（DOC），从表面照相光中溶解到地下微生物群落结构及其在碳代替过程中的营养相互作用。 这些分析将对从数千年到数千万年龄的裂缝水收集的浮游微生物群落进行。 更广泛的影响。研究计划将使本科生和毕业生参与动手跨学科研究，他们将将同位素地球化学和有机地球化学分析与遗传分析相结合。 来自北美和南非的学生将参加与南非科学家进行的持续合作的一部分。 RNA-SIP孵育实验将伴随着隔离实验，这些实验将进一步扩大Univ的地下培养物合和遗传数据库。自由状态（UFS）并增强其生物修复和生物技术的工作。 该项目将开始整合有关碳代谢的遗传，分类学和功能多样性。调查人员将努力组装一个基于Web的地下微生物数据库，其中包含一个可用于新闻稿的SEM/TEM图像的图库/TEM图像；作为画廊的一部分，我们将启动“这个生物体发生的世界？”描述在哪里找到相关菌株或序列。 该网站将为深地面提供微生物生物地理数据库的起点。 采矿公司允许采样探险的视频将发布在网站上。 该项目还将提供基本的科学基础，以最佳利用Witwatersrand盆地中未开发的天然气水库，并通过私营企业在南非在南非开发二氧化碳隔离项目