A Microbial Inventory of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Thermal Features

大黄石生态系统热特征的微生物清单

• 批准号: 0206773
• 负责人: Cristina Takacs-Vesbach
• 金额: $ 35.44万
• 依托单位: University of New Mexico
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-08-01 至 2006-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0206773&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Microbial; Inventory; Greater; Yellowstone; Ecosystem

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.

Cristina Takacs-Vesbach博士（新墨西哥州大学）和Anna-Louise Reysenbach博士（波特兰州立大学）获得了一笔赠款，用于清点与大黄石生态系统（GYE：怀俄明州、蒙大拿州和爱达荷州）主要地热特征相关的微生物多样性和地球化学。 GYE包括世界上最大和最多样化的地热盆地，但多样性评估仅限于少数这些温泉。 将使用分子遗传技术确定100个热站点的系统发育和生理多样性，这些技术确定作为微生物物种和代谢过程分子特征的基因的DNA序列。 这些数据连同地球化学测量结果沿着将编入一个可通过因特网查阅的数据库，并将用于开发DNA微阵列，这一工具将使研究人员和管理人员能够迅速评估其他热场的多样性。 研究界将通过新墨西哥州大学博物馆获得本研究分离的DNA。调查人员将与国家公园服务人员合作，为公众开发现场教育展示，此外还将通过实地课程和研讨会对学生、管理人员和国家公园服务解说护林员进行微生物生态学培训。由于GYE的热微生物群代表了丰富的未开发的遗传潜力，开发与环境数据库相关联的清单提供了一种访问这种多样性的手段，并将有助于确定具有潜在技术和工业重要性的生物。此外，虽然黄石国家公园内的地热点受到保护，但地质（地震）、气候（低含水层补给）和拟人（密集采样或区域采矿）扰动有可能改变这些生态系统。 在对这些资源进行清点之前，一些新的生物体将仅仅因为不知道它们的存在而受到不完全的保护;该项目将提供对监测和管理微生物资源至关重要的GYE中微生物多样性的基线。