RUI: Physiological heterogeneity of plastic-associated microbial communities in freshwater Lake Lacawac

RUI：拉卡瓦克淡水湖中与塑料相关的微生物群落的生理异质性

• 批准号: 2337129
• 负责人: Bryan Crable
• 金额: $ 19.83万
• 依托单位: PENNSYLVANIA WESTERN UNIVERSITY
• 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: 2023-07-01 至 2024-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2337129&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Physiological; heterogeneity; plastic; associated

Microplastics, which are plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size, are a common pollutant that have seen widespread accumulation in the environment since World War II. Because microplastics are solid, they represent a distinct surface that microorganisms can colonize. In marine environments, studies have shown that these plastic-associated microbial communities are distinct from those that inhabit the water column. However, plastic-associated microbial communities in freshwater environments are ubiquitous but have received considerably less attention even though microorganisms are essential players in nutrient cycles in all ecosystems. This study will be the first of its kind to investigate what role microplastic accumulation may play in altering microbial communities and, by extension, essential metabolic processes, in freshwater environments. This project will support summer field research experiences for three undergraduate students per summer for two summers. These field experiences will take place at the Lacawac Sanctuary Biological Field Station and Environmental Education Center in Pennsylvania — a globally recognized location for freshwater research. In addition, students will gain experience with state-of-the-art software programs for analyzing microbial communities as well as learn critical programming languages used for statistical analyses.Quantities of two microplastics (polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate) along with natural leaf litter will be placed within bioreactors fed with surface water from Lake Lacawac, Pennsylvania. Undergraduate researchers will monitor dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, and conductivity in the bioreactors on a weekly basis for 24 weeks. To investigate how the composition of plastic-associated microbial communities differs from those found on natural debris, students will collect samples of microplastics, leaf litter, and water from each bioreactor every three weeks for 24 weeks. DNA will be extracted from each of these samples and the investigators will amplify the 16S rRNA gene sequences using universal (bacterial/archaeal) primers. These amplicons will be sequenced and the phylogenetic composition of each community will be determined using advanced statistical software. Students will produce reports from their data and make research presentations at regional and national conferences, which will inspire them to consider graduate studies in the future.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.

微型塑料是尺寸小于5毫米的塑料颗粒，是一种常见的污染物，自第二次世界大战以来，在环境中的宽度积累。由于微塑料是固体的，因此它们代表了微生物可以定植的不同表面。在海洋环境中，研究表明，这些相关的微生物群落与居住在水柱的群落不同。但是，淡水环境中与塑料相关的微生物群落无处不在，但即使微生物是所有生态系统中营养周期的重要参与者，但受到的关注却大大降低。这项研究将是第一个研究微塑料积累在改变微生物群落以及在淡水环境中的基本代谢过程中可能起什么作用的作用。该项目将为每个夏天的三个夏季的三名本科生提供夏季现场研究经验。这些现场经验将在宾夕法尼亚州的Lacawac Sanctuary Biological Field Station和环境教育中心举行，这是全球公认的淡水研究地点。此外，学生将获得有关分析微生物群落的最先进软件程序的经验，以及学习用于统计分析的关键编程语言。两种微塑料（聚苯乙烯和聚乙烯tereyleythalate）的质量以及自然叶窝以及自然叶窝的质量将放置在宾夕法尼亚州Lacawac，Pennsylvan的地表水中。本科研究人员将每周监测生物反应器中溶解的氧气，pH，温度和电导率24周。为了研究塑料相关的微生物群落的组成与自然碎屑上的组成如何不同，学生将每三周从每个生物反应器中收集微塑料，叶子和水的样品，共24周。将从每个样品中提取DNA，研究人员将使用通用（细菌/古细菌）引物扩增16S rRNA基因序列。这些放大器将进行测序，并使用高级统计软件确定每个社区的系统发育组成。学生将从他们的数据中提出报告，并在区域和国家会议上进行研究演讲，这将激发他们将来考虑研究生研究。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响评估标准的评估，被认为是宝贵的支持。