A Microbial Inventory of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Thermal Features

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A grant has been awarded to Drs. Cristina Takacs-Vesbach (University of New Mexico) and Anna-Louise Reysenbach (Portland State University) to inventory the microbial diversity and geochemistry associated with the major geothermal features of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE: Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho). The GYE comprises the largest and most varied geothermal basin in the world, yet diversity assessments have been limited to only a handful of these thermal springs. The phylogenetic and physiological diversity of 100 thermal sites will be determined using molecular genetic techniques that identify DNA sequences of genes that are molecular signatures for microbial species and metabolic processes. These data, along with geochemical measurements, will be compiled into an Internet accessible database and will be used to develop DNA microarrays, a tool that will enable researchers and managers to rapidly assess the diversity of other thermal sites. The research community will have access to the DNA isolated by this study through the University of New Mexico Museum. The investigators will work with National Park Service personnel to develop on-site educational displays for the general public, in addition to training students, managers, and National Park Service interpretive rangers in microbial ecology through a field course and workshop. As the thermal microbiota of the GYE represents a wealth of untapped genetic potential, developing an inventory linked to an environmental database offers a means of accessing this diversity and will aid in the identification of organisms of potential technological and industrial importance. Furthermore, although the thermal sites occur within Yellowstone National Park and are thus protected, geological (earthquakes), climatological (low aquifer recharge), and anthropomorphic (intensive sampling or regional mining) perturbations have the potential to alter these ecosystems. Until an inventory of these resources is taken, some novel organisms will have incomplete protection simply because their existence is not known; the project will provide a baseline of microbial diversity in the GYE essential to monitoring and managing microbial resources.