Collaborative Research: Microbially Mediated Alteration of Volcanic Glass using McMurdo Extreme Environments as Natural Laboratories

该项目研究改变火山玻璃的微生物过程，这对了解地球上最早的生命至关重要。为了了解这些过程的环境控制，该项目使用南极洲麦克默多地区的极端环境作为自然实验室。火山玻璃基质被放置在热液系统、湖泊和其他地区两到四年，以确定定植的微生物联合体和微生物-玻璃相互作用的化学过程。通过分析恢复的实验，利用显微镜、分子和培养技术，探索真核生物和原核生物的作用，以及自养生物在定殖和生物膜形成过程中的相关性。更广泛的影响包括研究生和本科生参与研究、K-12外展和教师培训。

This project studies the microbial processes that alter volcanic glass, which is critical to understanding the earliest life on earth. To understand the environmental controls on these processes, this project uses the extreme environments of the McMurdo region of Antarctica as a natural laboratory. Volcanic glass substrates are placed in hydrothermal systems, lakes, and other areas for two to four years to identify colonizing microbial consortia and the chemical processes of microbe-glass interaction. Recovered experiments are analyzed to explore the role of eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms, and the relevance of autotrophs during colonization and biofilm formation using microscopic, molecular and culture techniques. The broader impacts include graduate and undergraduate student participation in research and K-12 outreach and teacher training.