MO: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: A MICROBIAL OBSERVATORY EXAMINING MICROBIAL ABUNDANCE, DIVERSITY, ASSOCIATIONS AND ACTIVITY AT SEAFLOOR BRINE SEEPS

盐水渗漏是由盐的溶解引起的，这些盐是在墨西哥湾是一个蒸发盆地时沉积下来的，然后被埋在沉积物下面。当盐沉积物与海水接触时，它们溶解，形成比海水咸许多倍的盐水。盐的迁移在沉积柱中造成断层，促使盐水流体和物质从深层地下向海底渗漏。这些重盐水从海底流出，形成水坑、水池和盐水湖。 盐水渗漏发生在沿着大陆边缘，但令人惊讶的是，人们对它们的微生物群落的多样性和活性知之甚少。卤水渗漏是由持续几十年到几个世纪的液体和气体排放所推动的，因此很可能不同的自由生活的微生物群落已经适应了这些栖息地。盐水渗漏栖息地可能类似于其他世界上的盐水渗漏，被认为发生在欧罗巴，泰坦或火星上。格鲁吉亚大学的Samantha Joye博士、德克萨斯A和M大学的Ian MacDonald博士、北卡罗来纳州大学的Andreas Teske博士以及来自德国和丹麦的同事的实验室将描述墨西哥湾盐水渗漏中微生物的分布和活动，研究微生物群落与其不寻常环境的相互作用，并评价了这些群落在卤水渗漏生境中的生态地球化学作用。他们将使用三管齐下的方法，包括原位采样，长期监测和实验，以量化介导盐水渗漏中碳和硫转化的微生物的丰度，多样性和活性，以确定对这些微生物活动和分布的环境控制，使用稳定同位素生物标志物追踪通过微生物食物网的碳和硫流动，DNA和RNA，并从这些盐水渗漏中分离和表征新的微生物。 该项目将包括各种外联活动。这项研究将包括本科生、研究生和博士后科学家。美国、德国和丹麦合作者之间的交流项目将允许美国研究生在德国的不莱梅或丹麦的欧登塞生活和工作。一名初中或高中科学教师将通过与海洋科学教育中心合作参与研究巡航东南计划。 科学老师会在其中一个PI工作吗？学校实验室开发供初中和/或高中使用的课程材料。研究所将在网上播放研究航行的互动节目，并将在项目第一年为科学界和公众提供一个项目网页。

Brine seeps are caused by the dissolution of salt that was deposited when the Gulf of Mexico was an evaporative basin and then buried beneath sediments. When salt deposits come into contact with seawater, they dissolve, and form brines many times saltier than seawater. Salt migration creates faults in the sediment column and drives seepage of brine fluids and materials from the deep subsurface to the seafloor. These heavy brines flow out of the seafloor forming puddles, pools, and lakes of brine. Brine seeps occur along continental margins, but surprisingly little is known about the diversity and activity of their microbial communities. Brine seeps are fueled by persistent fluid and gas discharge over periods of decades to centuries, thus it is likely that distinct free-living microbial communities have adapted to these habitats. Brine seep habitats may be analogs for brine seeps on other worlds as are thought to occur on Europa, Titan or Mars. The laboratories of Drs. Samantha Joye of the University of Georgia, Ian MacDonald of Texas A and M and Andreas Teske of the University of North Carolina and colleagues from Germany and Denmark will be characterizing the distribution and activity of the microbes in Gulf of Mexico brine seeps, examining the interactions of the microbial communities with their unusual environment, and evaluating the biogeochemical role of these communities in the brine seep habitats. They will be using a three-pronged approach that includes in-situ sampling, long-term monitoring, and experimentation to quantify the abundance, diversity and activity of microorganisms mediating carbon and sulfur transformations in brine seeps, to identify the environmental controls on these microbial activities and distributions, to trace carbon and sulfur flow through the microbial food web using stable isotope biomarkers, DNA and RNA and to isolate and characterize novel microorganisms from these brine seeps. This project will include a diverse portfolio of outreach activities. The research will include undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scientists. An exchange program between US, German and Danish collaborators will permit US graduate students to live and work in Bremen, Germany or Odense, Denmark. A middle or high school science teacher will be participating in the research cruises through collaboration with the Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence-Southeast program. The science teacher will work in one of the PI?s laboratories to develop course materials for use in middle and/or high schools. The PIs will have interactive web casts of research cruises and a project web page will be available, by year one of the project, for the scientific community and for the general public.