Collaborative Research: Determining the Limits to Life in Submarine Hydrothermal Systems: Active Sulfide Deposits as Natural Laboratories

合作研究：确定海底热液系统的生命极限：活性硫化物矿床作为天然实验室

• 批准号: 0426109
• 负责人: Deborah Kelley
• 金额: $ 62.92万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-10-01 至 2012-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0426109&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Determining; Limits; Life

This project will advance the development of an in-situ sensor package designed to quantify the spatial and temporal variation of environmental parameters and associated microbial communities within submarine hydrothermal systems. The ultimate goals of this project are to determine under in-situ conditions the upper temperature limit of life, what environmental parameters may promote growth under these conditions and what consortia are present. This project builds on the successful field testing of three prototype sulfide microbial incubators within the Mothra and Main Endeavour vent fields on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. Questions to be addressed include: What thermal gradients are present within the walls of mature, diffusely venting edifices? What is the hydrogen fugacity and oxidation state of fluids within the chimney walls? What is the maximum growth and survival temperature of natural microbial communities and of representative isolated cultures of hyperthermophiles within active vents? What is the naturally occurring phylogenetic and physiological diversity of hyperthermophiles in mature, diffusely venting sulfide structures?

该项目将推进原位传感器套件的开发，旨在量化海底热液系统中环境参数和相关微生物群落的时空变化。该项目的最终目标是在原位条件下确定生命的上限温度，在这些条件下哪些环境参数可能促进生长，以及存在哪些联盟。该项目建立在Juan de Fuca Ridge的Mothra和Main Endeavour喷口区域成功进行的三个原型硫化物微生物孵化器现场测试的基础上。需要解决的问题包括：成熟的、扩散通风的建筑物的墙壁内存在什么样的热梯度？烟囱壁内流体的氢逸度和氧化态是多少？天然微生物群落的最高生长和存活温度是多少？活跃喷口内具有代表性的嗜热菌分离培养物的最高生长和存活温度是多少？在成熟的、弥散通风的硫化物构造中，超嗜热生物的自然系统发育和生理多样性是什么？