Collaborative Research: Microbial Ecology of Ocean Basement Aquifers: ODP Borehole Observatories

合作研究：海洋基底含水层微生物生态学：ODP 钻孔观测站

• 批准号: 1207880
• 负责人: Jan Amend
• 金额: $ 6.69万
• 依托单位: University of Southern California
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-09-01 至 2013-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1207880&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Microbial; Ecology; Ocean

The ocean crust consists of basement rock formed at the mid-ocean ridges (MOR) plus the overlying sediments that accumulate over time as the basement rock ages and moves away from the MORs. There is growing evidence that a substantial biosphere exists throughout the immense volume of aging, sediment-buried basement underlying the global system of MOR flanks and ocean basins. The current project will exploit the unprecedented opportunities provided by long-term Ocean Drilling Program borehole observatories (CORKs) to collect uncontaminated samples of basement fluids for geochemical, microbiological and ecological characterization. Because water-rock reactions and associated microbial habitats vary with basement temperature and age, the geochemistry and molecular (genetic) diversity will be examined in basement fluids from multiple borehole observatories on the flanks of the Juan de Fuca Ridge (JFR), ranging in basement age (ca.1.24 to 3.5 million years) and in basement temperature (38 to 65degrees centigrade). The synergy between water-rock and aqueous (e.g., oxidation-reduction) reactions and the organisms living in proximity to them demands an interdisciplinary approach to research. In this project, the microbial community and metabolic diversity will be studied in close conjunction with geochemical processes. In situ, real-time analyses will simultaneously measure key dissolved reduction-oxidation (redox) species; such measurements will help to elucidate the metabolic climate of the basement fluids (e.g., how the microbes gain energy and fix carbon) and guide culturing portions of this study. These geochemical and biological studies will provide input data for thermodynamic calculations of numerous potential metabolic reactions (e.g., a sort of energy 'road map'), which will provide a 'reality-check' for the occurrence of certain metabolisms. Geochemical measurements and energetic calculations will provide a much-needed environmental context for realistic modeling of microbial community synergy. The principal investigators and students from the participating institutions will interact closely with hydrogeologists, geochemists and technologists from numerous other institutions, as well as with staff of the International Ocean Drilling Program (IDOP) to both exploit existing CORK observatories and to influence development of new borehole observatories that are optimal for ocean basement microbial community studies. Multiple undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students will be intimately involved in all stages of the project, and will benefit from cross-institutional informal education and training. The project will actively interact with UH's NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI), for which subseafloor biosphere studies is an increasingly significant component. Students and PIs will participate in educational outreach projects to K-12 schools and the general public, especially including continuation of the very successful ship-to-classroom and "Teacher at Sea" outreach programs; the latter will involve integrating K-12 science teachers directly into all aspects of the project from initial planning to field and laboratory work.

海洋地壳由大洋中脊 (MOR) 形成的基岩以及随着基岩老化并远离 MOR 而随着时间的推移而积累的上覆沉积物组成。 越来越多的证据表明，在 MOR 侧翼和海洋盆地的全球系统下方，巨大的老化、沉积物埋藏的基底中存在着大量的生物圈。 当前的项目将利用长期海洋钻探计划钻孔观测站（CORK）提供的前所未有的机会来收集未受污染的基底流体样本，以进行地球化学、微生物和生态表征。由于水岩反应和相关的微生物栖息地随基底温度和年龄的变化而变化，因此将在胡安德富卡山脊 (JFR) 侧翼的多个钻孔观测站（范围在基底范围内）的基底流体中检查地球化学和分子（遗传）多样性。年龄（约1.24至350万年）和地下室温度（38至65摄氏度）。 水-岩石和水（例如氧化还原）反应以及生活在它们附近的生物之间的协同作用需要跨学科的研究方法。在该项目中，微生物群落和代谢多样性将与地球化学过程密切结合进行研究。原位实时分析将同时测量关键溶解的还原氧化（氧化还原）物质；此类测量将有助于阐明基底液体的代谢气候（例如微生物如何获得能量和固定碳）并指导本研究的培养部分。这些地球化学和生物学研究将为众多潜在代谢反应的热力学计算提供输入数据（例如，一种能量“路线图”），这将为某些代谢的发生提供“现实检验”。地球化学测量和能量计算将为微生物群落协同作用的现实建模提供急需的环境背景。参与机构的主要研究人员和学生将与来自众多其他机构的水文地质学家、地球化学家和技术专家以及国际海洋钻探计划 (IDOP) 的工作人员密切互动，以利用现有的 CORK 观测站并影响新钻孔的开发最适合海洋基底微生物群落研究的观测站。 多名本科生、研究生和博士后将密切参与该项目的各个阶段，并将受益于跨机构的非正式教育和培训。该项目将与夏威夷大学的美国宇航局天体生物学研究所（NAI）积极互动，海底生物圈研究是该研究所日益重要的组成部分。学生和 PI 将参与针对 K-12 学校和公众的教育外展项目，特别是包括继续非常成功的船到课堂和“海上教师”外展项目；后者将涉及将 K-12 科学教师直接纳入项目的各个方面，从最初的规划到实地和实验室工作。