Exploration of Eukaryotic Microbes in Sulfide-Enriched Sedimets at Redox Boundaries in the Black Sea

黑海是地球上已知最大的贫氧、富硫化物盆地。 虽然硫化氢通常是有毒的，但富含硫化物的缺氧海洋沃茨可以具有令人惊讶的高密度真核微生物（例如，有孔虫）。 NSF的这一温和的奖项将支持在黑海西南部的一次研究收集巡航的工作，以探索沉积物/水界面与水柱中氧气消失相交处的微生物群落。 真核微生物的种群将被定量和表征，以及检查共生细菌的存在。 环境条件将通过使用从相同样品中收集的化学数据来确定（作为其他NSF项目的一部分，G。Luther，特拉华州大学）。 结果将提供一个什么可能是一个非常独特的底栖黑海微生物群落的看法，许多生物以前未知的科学，从而为未来提供了一个基础，在该地区更多学科的详细研究。 人类活动造成的氧气消耗在海洋沃茨中越来越普遍。 表征微生物财团在黑海可能会导致更好地了解这些社区在其他沃茨的过程是不太理想的作用，并可能提出新的补救措施。 该项目的其他更广泛的影响包括来自EPSCoR州机构的本科生的参与，以及PI和可能的外国合作者之间的互动。研究结果将被纳入南卡罗来纳州大学未来课程中。

The Black Sea is the largest known oxygen-depleted, sulfide-enriched basin on Earth. Although hydrogen sulfide is usually toxic, oxygen-depleted marine waters rich in sulfide can have surprisingly high densities of eukaryotic microorganisms (e.g., foraminiferans). This modest NSF award will support work on a single research collecting cruise in the southwestern Black Sea to explore microbial communities at points where the sediment/water interface intersects with the disappearance of oxygen in the water column. Populations of eukaryotic microbes will be quantified and characterized, as well as examined for the presence of symbiotic bacteria. Environmental conditions will be determined by using chemical data that will be collected from the same samples (as part of other NSF projects, G. Luther, University of Delaware). Results will provide a view of what may be a very unique bottom-dwelling Black Sea microbial community, with many organisms previously unknown to science, thereby providing a foundation for future, more multidisciplinary detailed studies in the area. Oxygen depletion caused by human activities is becoming more widespread in marine waters. Characterizing microbial consortia in the Black Sea may lead to a better understanding of the role of these communities in other waters where the process is less desirable, and could suggest new remedies. Other broader impacts of this project include the involvement of an undergraduate student from an institution in an EPSCoR state, and interaction between the PI and possible foreign collaborators. Results will be integrated into coursework taught in future classes at the University of South Carolina.