A Genomics-enabled Microbial Observatory in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

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A grant has been awarded to Dr. Edward F. DeLong of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop and apply genomic technologies for characterizing the biology, ecology, and population dynamics of planktonic microbes in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Characterization of native microbial species, and monitoring their spatial and temporal variability represents a challenging enterprise for microbiologists. To address this challenge, this project will employ genomic technologies to study natural marine microbial populations, and will design DNA microarrays (aka DNA "chips") that can simultaneously detect hundreds of specific microbial species. In one component of the project, large fragments of indigenous planktonic microbial genomes will be recovered, their DNA sequenced, and the functional properties of the associated microorganisms will be determined. In addition, the genome sequence data will be used to design DNA-based microarrays (DNA chips), to track the spatial and temporal variability of hundreds of microbial species simultaneously, in Monterey Bay. The microarrays will enable study of the population dynamics of coastal plankton, and assist in determining the physical, chemical, biotic, and anthropogenic factors that influence their variability. The broader impacts of this project include the development and application of advanced technologies to track ecologically relevant microbes in the environment. These new methods will be generically useful for oceanographers, microbiologists, and ecologists alike. The genome sequence data produced will add significantly to general knowledge of microbial life on Earth. Graduate, undergraduate and postdoctoral students will be trained in the course of this project. Websites, maintained at MIT and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, will help to educate a broader public about microbial processes in the coastal oceans, and their influences on oceanic ecosystems. All the tools, analyses, and data generated in this project will be made freely accessible to the scientific community and public at large.