CAREER: The Metabolic and Mutualistic Activities of Microbial Subsistence in Oligotrophic Cave Environments.

职业：寡营养洞穴环境中微生物生存的代谢和互利活动。

• 批准号: 0643462
• 负责人: Hazel Barton
• 金额: $ 71.07万
• 依托单位: Northern Kentucky University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-08-15 至 2012-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0643462&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Metabolic; Mutualistic; Activities; Microbial

Using caves as a model for microbial community adaptation under starved conditions, the research will integrate a number of methods from the biological, geological and chemical sciences. Within biology, molecular techniques will be used to asses the size and structure of the communities present, the genes expressed and whether parasites, such as bacterial viruses, play a role. Using alternative techniques for cultivation, the research also aims to determine whether mutually beneficial interactions between species are important factors for survival. Methods from chemistry and materials science will address how and why starved microbial species affect the local chemistry of the surfaces on which they grow, while techniques in geology will make it possible to determine what role geochemistry plays in diversity under starvation. Together, the results obtained should significantly contribute to our understanding of the interactions and processes microbial communities use to survive extreme starvation.In a broader context, this research will address one of the outstanding questions in microbial ecology; why are the majority of microbial species in the environment non-culturable? Most microbial species in nature are living under conditions of extreme starvation, in which they may rely on mutualistic interactions with other cells in order to survive. Such interactions might limit the growth of many microbes in tradtional laboratory culture media. If this is the case, knowledge learned from this project could significantly increase the number and type of bacterial species that can be grown under laboratory conditions. The isolation of such species could greatly benefit not just our understanding of microbial activity in the environment, but provide species with important traits for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. The research described will be carried out in a primarily undergraduate research laboratory. By involving undergraduate students in this advanced research, they develop practical and critical thinking skills, more effective time management and an increased ability to communicate their science. The research and scientific techniques will also be integrated directly into the curricula, allowing a large number of students to be involved in the design and implementation of research methods and data management, while hands on research actively enhances the educational experience.

利用洞穴作为饥饿条件下微生物群落适应的模型，该研究将整合生物，地质和化学科学的许多方法。 在生物学中，分子技术将用于评估存在的群落的大小和结构，表达的基因以及寄生虫（如细菌病毒）是否起作用。 使用替代的种植技术，该研究还旨在确定物种之间的互利互动是否是生存的重要因素。 来自化学和材料科学的方法将解决饥饿的微生物物种如何以及为什么会影响它们生长的表面的局部化学，而地质学技术将使人们有可能确定地球化学在饥饿下的多样性中发挥什么作用。 总之，所获得的结果应显着有助于我们了解的相互作用和过程的微生物群落用于生存极端starvation.In一个更广泛的背景下，这项研究将解决一个突出的问题，在微生物生态学;为什么大多数的微生物物种在环境中不可培养？ 自然界中的大多数微生物物种都生活在极端饥饿的条件下，在这种条件下，它们可能依赖于与其他细胞的互利相互作用才能生存。 这种相互作用可能会限制许多微生物在传统实验室培养基中的生长。 如果是这样的话，从这个项目中学到的知识可以显着增加可以在实验室条件下生长的细菌物种的数量和类型。 这些物种的分离不仅可以极大地帮助我们了解环境中的微生物活动，而且可以为生物技术和制药行业提供具有重要特征的物种。 所描述的研究将在一个主要的本科研究实验室进行。 通过让本科生参与这项先进的研究，他们培养了实践和批判性思维能力，更有效的时间管理和提高沟通科学的能力。 研究和科学技术也将直接融入课程，让大量的学生参与研究方法和数据管理的设计和实施，而动手研究积极增强教育体验。