SGER: An Analysis of Real Time Changes in Soil Microbial Community Structure in an Evolving Thermal Soil Environment

黄石国家公园（YNP）代表了一个独特的环境，其中发生了重大的地热活动。这些热区域包括水生系统以及土壤，并且在温度、化学和物理性质方面变化显著。 有一个特殊的机会来观察，跟踪和量化土壤微生物种群的变化，以应对温度升高。 通常，作为嗜热菌研究重点的环境是成熟的、已建立的地热特征（相对于人类经验和已知记录）。 这项先发制人的研究将利用自然发生的温度梯度，最近出现在整个景观在一个特定的位置在YNP。 这些最近的变化提供了一个难得的机会，从而嗜热菌和/或嗜热菌群落的发展可以在真实的时间进行研究。 与后勤上难以进入的深海喷口等其他深海环境不同，研究地点很容易进入和取样。 使用分子和培养技术相结合，随着时间的推移，在这个不断变化的热环境中的微生物群落正在研究，与明显的变化，在社区结构与土壤温度和化学性质的变化。

Yellowstone National Park (YNP) represents a unique setting wherein significant geothermal activity occurs. These thermal areas include aquatic systems as well as soils, and vary significantly with respect to temperature, chemistry, and physical properties. There is an exceptional opportunity to observe, follow, and quantify changes in a soil microbial population that occur in response to elevated temperature. Typically, environments that are the focus of thermophile investigations are mature, established geothermal features (relative to the human experience and known records). This preemptive study will take advantage of naturally occurring temperature gradients that have recently surfaced across the landscape at one specific location in YNP. These recent changes provide a rare opportunity, whereby thermophiles and/or the development of thermophile communities can be studied in real time. As opposed to other neothermal environments such as deep sea vents which are logistically difficult to access, the research site is easily accessible and sampled. Using a combination of molecular and culturing techniques, the microbial community in this evolving thermal environment is being studied over time, with apparent alterations in community structure being correlated with changes in soil temperature and chemical properties.