Research Starter Grant: Genomic Analysis of Microbial Communities: Revealing the Ecological Function of Non-Cultivated Planctomycetes in Soil

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A research starter grant has been awarded to Dr. Daniel H. Buckley of Cornell University to determine the functional significance of non-cultivated Planctomycetes in soil microbial communities. Metagenomic libraries and whole genome amplification will be used to obtain genomic DNA fragments from Planctomycetes to provide insight into the physiological potential of these microorganisms in soil communities. These genome-enabled insights will be extended into an ecological context by using molecular techniques to examine the diversity and distribution of Planctomycetes in relation to agricultural management practices and in relation to soil nitrogen and sulfur cycling. Soil is the thin skin of the Earth on which all terrestrial forms of life depend. Our soils are home to a staggering array of microorganisms whose activities impact soil fertility, atmospheric composition, the breakdown of pollutants, and discharges to groundwater and aquatic ecosystems. While the importance of soil microorganisms has been recognized for some time, the techniques needed to identify, characterize and study the ecology of these organisms have only been recently developed. Planctomycetes are a recently discovered group of bacteria which have been observed in soils all over the world and may constitute as much as 21% of the microbial community in arable soils. Despite their abundance and ubiquity in soils, an understanding of the role these microbes play in terrestrial ecosystems remains elusive. This research program will provide unprecedented information about the ecology and evolutionary history of Planctomycetes, with the specific objective of determining the environmental processes mediated by these microorganisms in soil microbial communities.