IntBIO Collaborative Research: Assessing drivers of the nitrogen-fixing symbiosis at continental scales

IntBIO 合作研究：评估大陆尺度固氮共生的驱动因素

• 批准号: 2316267
• 负责人: Robert Guralnick
• 金额: $ 19.14万
• 依托单位: University of Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-01 至 2027-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2316267&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: IntBIO; Collaborative; Research; Assessing; drivers

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for all life on earth. It is also the most abundant element in the atmosphere, but most organisms cannot access it from the air directly. Only certain specialized microbes have the ability to convert nitrogen in the atmosphere into a biologically useful form in a process known as nitrogen fixation. Some of these microbes are free-living, but most live in a close symbiotic association within the roots of plants, exchanging nitrogen for carbon. This nitrogen-fixing symbiosis is a central component of the global nitrogen cycle, and it is central to agricultural systems because nitrogen is often the limiting factor for crop growth. It is therefore imperative to understand how nitrogen-fixing plant-bacterial partnerships form in nature and how they respond to an environment filled with challenges and in constant flux. The purpose of this project is to provide a data-intensive framework to learn how plants and bacteria choose their partners and how this choice influences and responds to surrounding species, soil, and climate. A second purpose of the project is to train students from groups underrepresented in science. Students will be prepared for the data-intensive careers now needed across STEM disciplines using an innovative mentorship program and interdisciplinary research including fieldwork, laboratory work, and computational biology.The project will investigate the diversity of nitrogen-fixing bacteria and other microbes associating with plant roots across the North American continent using NSF-sponsored ecological monitoring resources through NEON (the National Ecological Observatory Network). At each of 45 NEON sites, environmental data will be combined with data on the nitrogen-fixing symbiosis. Specifically, investigators will sample the microbiome in the soil and root nodules, and will assay leaf isotopes to determine the level of function of nitrogen-fixing symbionts. Leveraging data from these different sources, the PIs will be able to determine whether microorganisms and plant partners are each limited by the same environmental factors, such as aridity. They will also be able to determine the extent to which choosiness of plant or microbe partners limit the extent of the association. In addition, by examining patterns in the tree of life, the PIs will be able to infer whether highly specific partnerships have persisted across evolutionary time. Finally, models will be used to address synthetic questions across all data sources. For example, a model can test the prediction that arid environments favor highly specific associations, in which both microbes and plants choose specific partners in those stressful settings.This project is jointly funded by the BIO Emerging Frontiers Program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.

氮是地球上所有生命的必不可少的营养。它也是大气中最丰富的元素，但是大多数生物无法直接从空气中访问它。 只有某些专门的微生物能够在被称为氮固定的过程中将氮气转化为具有生物学有用的形式。 这些微生物中的一些是自由生活的，但大多数人生活在植物根部的紧密共生关联中，将氮换成碳。 这种固氮共生是全球氮循环的核心组成部分，它是农业系统的核心，因为氮通常是作物生长的限制因素。因此，必须了解自然界中如何形成固氮植物 - 细菌伙伴关系，以及它们如何应对充满挑战和不断变化的环境。该项目的目的是提供一个数据密集型框架，以了解植物和细菌如何选择其伴侣以及这种选择如何影响和反应周围物种，土壤和气候。 该项目的第二个目的是培训来自科学领域不足的小组的学生。 学生将使用创新的指导计划和跨学科研究为现在所需的数据密集型职业做好准备，包括实地调查，实验室工作和计算生物学。该项目将研究固定氮细菌的多样性，以及其他北美界面的植物根源，包括NEON（通过NEON）通过NEON（通过NEON）进行北美界面的植物根源（该项目）与北美界的植物根源相关联。在45个霓虹灯地点中的每个位置，环境数据将与氮固定共生的数据结合使用。 具体而言，研究者将在土壤和根结节中采样微生物组，并将测定叶子同位素以确定氮固定共生体的功能水平。 利用来自这些不同来源的数据，PI将能够确定微生物和植物伴侣是否都受到相同环境因素（例如干燥性）的限制。 他们还将能够确定植物或微生物伴侣的选择程度限制了关联的程度。 此外，通过检查生命树中的模式，PI将能够推断出在进化时期的高度特定伙伴关系是否持续存在。 最后，模型将用于解决所有数据源中的综合问题。 例如，模型可以测试以下预测，即干旱环境偏向于高度具体的关联，其中微生物和植物在那些压力大的环境中都选择特定的伴侣。该项目由生物新兴领域的计划和既定的计划共同资助，并既定的竞争性研究（EPSCOR）（EPSCOR）的既定奖项都通过INTECTER INTECTIRATION进行了评估，这表明了NSF的法定任务和支持，这是由NSF的Internation Infection Internition进行了评估。 标准。