Microbial Observatory: Metabolic Activity of Microorganisms in Alaskan Tundra and Permafrost

微生物观测站：阿拉斯加苔原和永久冻土中微生物的代谢活动

• 批准号: 0348681
• 负责人: Nicolai Panikov
• 金额: $ 20.98万
• 依托单位: Stevens Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-07-01 至 2007-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0348681&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Microbial; Observatory; Metabolic; Activity; Microorganisms

A grant has been awarded to Drs. Nicolai S. Panikov (Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ) and Vladimir Romanovsky (University of Alaska Fairbanks) to establish a Microbial Observatory project in the Alaskan tundra. The long-term challenge is to identify, characterize and monitor over time and space the psychrophilic (ultracold-loving) microorganisms active in frozen ground likely to be responsible for recently discovered sizeable winter CO2 emissions in the Arctic. The particular goal of this 2-year 'proof-of-concept' project is to present convincing evidence that such microorganisms exist and can be studied by a combination of isolation and culture-independent molecular techniques. Growth and activity of psychrophilic microorganisms will be assessed from the in situ rates of carbon incorporation into cells and cellular constituents (DNA, phospholipids) in laboratory incubation studies. Testing of various substrates, temperatures (from 0 to -40 oC) and other growth conditions will allow the investigators to develop an optimized protocol for microbial enrichment, and to isolate 13C isotope-enriched DNA of microorganisms growing in frozen soil.Alaskan tundra was found to be an important trigger in recent global climatic changes: warming caused degradation of permafrost and stimulated microbial decomposition, converting the tundra from a 'sink' to a net source of carbon. The understanding, prediction and mitigation of the observed climate and atmospheric changes critically depend on knowledge of permafrost microbiology. Broader impacts of the research include more reliable climate predictions, insights into life on other planets under ultracold temperatures and development of highly efficient biocatalysts functioning at below freezing temperatures. To facilitate dissemination of information about this exciting effort, a web site will be established for the project.

博士们已获得一笔赠款。nikolai S. Panikov （Stevens Institute of Technology， NJ）和Vladimir Romanovsky （University of Alaska Fairbanks）在阿拉斯加冻原建立了一个微生物观测站项目。长期的挑战是在时间和空间上识别、描述和监测在冻土中活跃的嗜冷（超冷）微生物，这些微生物可能是最近在北极发现的大量冬季二氧化碳排放的原因。这个为期两年的“概念验证”项目的具体目标是提供令人信服的证据，证明这些微生物存在，并且可以通过分离和非培养分子技术相结合进行研究。在实验室培养研究中，将根据细胞和细胞成分（DNA、磷脂）的原位碳结合率来评估嗜冷微生物的生长和活性。测试各种底物、温度（从0到-40℃）和其他生长条件将使研究人员能够制定微生物富集的优化方案，并分离在冻土中生长的微生物的13C同位素富集DNA。阿拉斯加冻土带被发现是最近全球气候变化的一个重要触发因素：变暖导致永久冻土退化并刺激微生物分解，将冻土带从碳的“汇”转变为碳的净来源。对观测到的气候和大气变化的了解、预测和减缓在很大程度上取决于对永久冻土微生物学的了解。这项研究的更广泛影响包括更可靠的气候预测，对其他行星在超低温下的生命的见解，以及在冰点以下工作的高效生物催化剂的开发。为了方便传播有关这项令人兴奋的工作的资料，将为该项目设立一个网站。