RUI: MO: Collaborative Research: An Integrated Study of Eukaryotic, Prokaryotic, and Viral Diversity and Dynamics in an Acidic Hot Lake.

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This project combines expertise in prokaryotic, viral, and eukaryotic microbiology from three institutions to establish a microbial observatory at Boiling Springs Lake (BSL), an acidic (pH 2.2), hydrothermal (52 degrees centigrade) lake in Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA. BSL is the largest hot spring in North America, and it is geochemically distinct from springs in Yellowstone National Park and elsewhere. BSL is a stable thermal feature of Lassen Park, yet varies significantly over both time and space, thus offering a unique opportunity to investigate factors that control the abundance, diversity, and activities of microorganisms in natural habitats, and their stability over time. A remotely operated vehicle designed and built by undergraduate engineering students will be used to map the lake's physical structure, and scientists will sample two thermally distinct regions of BSL to assess biological and chemical variation at various temporal and spatial scales. Genetic and taxonomic diversity of prokaryotes, eukaryotes and viruses, their productivity, and the relative contributions of chemosynthesis and photosynthesis to primary production will be explored by both culture-dependent and -independent approaches.Extreme environments such as BSL are ideal for the study of fundamental questions in microbial biology since they represent low diversity communities, and also are models for life on other planets. A major goal of this proposal is to introduce undergraduates from three institutions to microbial biology, and to scientific research. During this funding period, this work will be integrated into 5 classes impacting at least 700 undergraduate students, and an additional ~100 undergraduates will be directly involved in BSL-related research projects. This project will also contribute to graduate student training, as well as outreach to high school students. The project will conduct yearly Lassen Volcanic National Park (LNVP) symposia involving the investigators, their students, park personnel, and community members, and produce a web-based database of results for the science community and the public. In addition, students will be involved in producing a color brochure for LVNP visitors, highlighting the structure, chemistry, and biology of this unique lake, and giving the public a deeper appreciation of the microbial world.