NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Integrating microbial dynamics into methane models for northern peatland and post-glacial lakes

2021 财年 NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：将微生物动力学整合到北部泥炭地和冰河后湖泊的甲烷模型中

• 批准号: 2109429
• 负责人: McKenzie Kuhn
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Kuhn, McKenzie Ann
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-03-01 至 2024-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2109429&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; FY

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2021, Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow that will contribute to the area of Rules of Life in innovative ways. Northern lakes are important sources of the greenhouse gas, methane (CH4) into the atmosphere. Methane emissions from lakes are expected to increase as the Arctic warms, leading to the thaw of ground that has been frozen for hundreds to thousands of years (permafrost) and releasing organic material into lakes, where it can be consumed by microbes and transformed into methane. Microbes are the key drivers of methane emissions from lakes. Different microbes leave distinct “fingerprints,” (isotopic signatures) on methane. These fingerprints are crucial components of global methane models and are used to trace methane in the atmosphere back to its source. However, little is known about which microbes live in northern lake sediments or how microbial activity (methane production) and related methane emissions and fingerprints will change with warming and permafrost thaw. This project will identify microbes present in lake sediments in northern Sweden and measure how actively microbes produce methane under different thaw and temperature conditions. This research represents a crucial step towards improving global methane models, which predict annual emissions and help inform policy decisions. The fellow will also strive to increase diversity in STEM by mentoring undergraduate students in the field and engaging in K-12 educational activities in New Hampshire and northern Sweden. The fellow will measure CH4 emissions/signatures, abiotic conditions, and sample sediment from two lakes in northern Sweden with contrasting permafrost conditions and potentially different CH4-producing microbes (methanogens). The fellow will analyze sediments for microbial composition (genes) and abundance using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. With sediment incubations, the fellow will assess the metabolic activity (phenotype expression) of methanogens under warming conditions using metatranscriptome sequencing. The fellow will leverage a library of metagenome-assembled genomes from environments in northern Sweden to map metabolic pathway activity and target specific metabolic genes in methanogens. Ultimately, the fellow will build a statistical CH4 model that links microbial dynamics to CH4 emissions and associated isotopic signatures. The fellow will develop mentoring, professional, and research skills through the NSF BII EMERGE project summer institute for early career researchers and will mentor students in the EMERGE Research Experience for Undergraduates program.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这项行动为2021财年的生物学生物学奖学金提供了一项NSF博士后研究奖学金，综合研究研究了基因组，环境和表型之间相互作用的生活规则。奖学金支持对研究员的研究和培训，这些研究和培训将以创新的方式为生活规则做出贡献。北部湖泊是温室气，甲烷（CH4）进入大气中的重要来源。随着北极的温暖，预计湖泊的甲烷排放量将增加，导致地面的融化已被冻结了数百至数千年（永久冻土），并将有机物质释放到湖泊中，在那里可以被微生物消耗并转化为甲烷。微生物是湖泊中甲烷排放的关键驱动因素。不同的微生物在甲烷上留下不同的“指纹”（同位素特征）。这些指纹是全球甲烷模型的关键组成部分，用于在大气中追溯甲烷回到其来源。然而，对于哪些微生物生活在北湖沉积物中，或微生物活性（甲烷产生）以及相关的甲烷排放和指纹如何随变暖和永久冻结融化而改变。该项目将确定瑞典北部湖泊沉积物中存在的微生物，并测量微生物在不同的融化和温度条件下如何积极生产甲烷。这项研究代表了改善全球甲烷模型的关键步骤，该模型预测了年度排放并有助于为政策决策提供信息。该研究员还将努力通过在该领域的心理本科生并从事新罕布什尔州和瑞典北部的K-12教育活动来提高STEM的多样性。该研究员将测量来自瑞典北部两个湖泊的CH4排放/标志，非生物条件和样品沉积物，并具有对比鲜明的多年冻土条件和潜在不同的CH4产生的微生物（甲基植物）。研究员将使用16S rRNA基因扩增子测序分析微生物组成（基因）的沉积物和抽象。随着沉积物的孵化，该研究员将使用元文字组测序在变暖条件下评估甲烷剂的代谢活性（表型表达）。该研究员将利用来自瑞典北部环境的元基因组组装的基因组库来绘制代谢途径活性，并靶向甲烷元中特定的代谢基因。最终，该研究员将建立一个统计CH4模型，该模型将微生物动力学与CH4排放和相关的同位素特征联系起来。该研究员将通过NSF BII EMERGE项目夏季职业研究人员发展心理，专业和研究技能，并将在本科生的Emerge研究经验中进行精神学生。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的知识分子和广泛影响的评估来通过评估来支持的珍贵的支​​持。