Microbial Observatories: Linking Phylogeny and Biogeochemistry for the Discovery of Novel Chemolithotrophs Inhabiting Geothermal Gradients in Yellowstone National Park

博士们已获得一笔赠款。蒙大拿州立大学的Timothy R. McDermott, William P. Inskeep和Gill G. Geesey建立了一个微生物观测站，以研究和发现黄石国家公园（YNP）的新型化学岩石营养微生物。作为一般的生理类群，化能养生物的代表性非常不足，特别是考虑到我们生物圈中无机能源的优势。这些微生物从无机化学物质如亚铁、硫化氢、单质硫、亚砷酸盐或氢气的氧化中获得生长所需的能量。由于地热温泉通常含有丰富的所有或大部分这些化学物质，YNP代表了进行这项研究的理想地点。该研究将利用新的培养和分子技术来描述、表征和分离沿地球化学和温度梯度存在的微生物种群。对微生物种群的详细描述将伴随着对水相和固相地球化学的完整分析，提供一种全面的方法，将分子描述与对已确定种群的生态相关性的理解联系起来。该观测站是黄石公园嗜热微生物研究的关键环节，它将与YNP的其他观测站密切合作，以最大限度地发挥研究协同作用和发现。除了促进微生物生态学原理的总体发展外，本研究还将促进研究生的跨学科培养。此外，从这项工作中获得的信息将有助于数据库的持续发展，以记录和描述YNP地热特征中发生的微生物多样性，这反过来将促进YNP教育使命的直接价值的广泛教育推广机会。本项目获得的所有培养物和DNA将保存在蒙大拿州立大学热生物学研究所的嗜热培养物收藏中，为今后的筛选提供生物材料。

A grant has been awarded to Drs. Timothy R. McDermott, William P. Inskeep, and Gill G. Geesey of Montana State University to establish a Microbial Observatory to study and discover novel chemolithotrophic microorganisms in Yellowstone National Park (YNP). As a general physiological group, chemolithotrophs are tremendously underrepresented, particularly given the predominance of inorganic energy sources in our biosphere. These microbes acquire energy for growth from the oxidation of inorganic chemicals such as ferrous iron, hydrogen sulfide, elemental sulfur, arsenite, or hydrogen gas. Because geothermal springs typically contain abundant levels of all or most of these chemical species, YNP represents an ideal location to conduct this search. The research will utilize novel cultivation and molecular techniques to describe, characterize, and isolate the microbial populations present along geochemical and temperature gradients. This detailed description of the microbial populations will be accompanied by a complete analysis of the aqueous and solid phase geochemistry, providing a comprehensive approach that will link molecular description with an understanding of the ecological relevance of identified populations.This observatory occupies a key link in the study of the thermophilic microorganisms in Yellowstone, and it will work closely with other observatories in YNP to maximize research synergy and discovery. In addition to contributing to the general development of microbial ecology principles, this research will foster the cross-disciplinary training of graduate students. Further, the information derived from this work will contribute to the continued development of databases that document and describe microbial diversity occurring in YNP's geothermal features, which in turn will facilitate extensive education-outreach opportunities of direct value to the education mission of YNP. All cultures and DNA obtained from this project will be stored in the Montana State University Thermal Biology Institute thermophile culture collection, providing biological materials for future screening.