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.

海皮由在中山山脊（MOR）形成的地下岩石组成，以及随着地下岩石的年龄而远离摩尔人的上覆盖的沉积物。 越来越多的证据表明，在整个MOR侧面和海洋盆地全球系统的基础上，大量的衰老，沉积物堆积的地下室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器（CORKS）提供的前所未有的机会，以收集基底液的未污染样品，以进行地球化学，微生物和生态特征。由于水摇滚反应和相关的微生物栖息地随地下室温度和年龄的变化而变化，因此将在地下室液体中检查地球化学和分子（遗传）多样性，从多个井眼观测孔（Juan de Fuca Ridge（JFR）（JFR）的侧面），在地下室年龄（Ca.1.24至3.5亿年）和3. 38年的温度（38年）（38年）（38年）（3. 38年）（均为38年）（3. 38年）。 水摇滚与水性之间的协同作用（例如，氧化还原）反应以及生活在与之接近的生物需要一种跨学科的研究方法。在这个项目中，将与地球化学过程密切研究微生物群落和代谢多样性。原位，实时分析将同时测量关键溶解还原氧化（氧化还原）物种；这样的测量将有助于阐明基底液的代谢气候（例如，微生物如何获得能量并固定碳）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许多潜在的代谢反应（例如，一种能量“路线图”）提供输入数据，该计算将为某些代谢的发生提供“现实检查”。地球化学测量和能量计算将为微生物群落协同作用提供急需的环境环境。来自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，地球化学家和技术人员以及国际海洋钻井计划（IDOP）的工作人员进行密切互动，以利用现有的软木天文台，并影响到海洋基础基础社区研究的最佳新井眼观察者的发展。 多个本科，研究生和博士后学生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UH的NASA天体生物学研究所（NAI）积极相互作用，为此，子膜生物圈研究是越来越重要的组成部分。学生和PI将参加K-12学校和公众的教育外展项目，尤其是包括延续非常成功的船到教室以及“海上老师”外展计划；后者将涉及将K-12科学教师直接整合到从初始计划到现场和实验室工作的项目的各个方面。