Photoheterotrophic Microbes in the West Antarctic Peninsula Marine Ecosystem

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。在极地生态系统中，随着冰层覆盖和厚度的减少，光的质量和可用性可能会发生变化。微生物如何适应这些和其他变化将对极地海洋生态系统产生巨大影响。人们对光异养原核生物知之甚少，据推测，除了利用溶解的有机物（DOM）外，它们还通过收集光能获得代谢优势。目前的碳循环和能量流模型不包括光异养。本研究将探讨三个问题：1。在冬季和夏季，南极水域是否存在和活跃光异养微生物？2. 光异养生物群落结构在夏季和冬季之间是否发生变化？3. 哪些微生物群在光照下比在黑暗中吸收更多的DOM ？该研究将测试关于光异养生物在冬季和夏季的活动，群落结构在明暗季节之间的变化以及光异养生物对南极生物地球化学过程的潜在独特影响的假设。该项目将直接资助一名研究生，对美国国家科学基金会海洋与地球研究学院的REU项目产生积极影响，并将包括来自美国的学生。美国历史最悠久的少数民族学院。研究结果将在刘易斯设施的每周参观（每年约1000名游客）和海岸日期间展出，海岸日每年开放参观，吸引约10,000名游客。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Light quality and availability are likely to change in polar ecosystems as ice coverage and thickness decrease. How microbes adjust to these and other changes will have huge impacts on the polar marine ecosystems. Little is known about photoheterotrophic prokaryotes, which are hypothesized to gain a metabolic advantage by harvesting light energy in addition to utilizing dissolved organic matter (DOM). Photoheterotrophy is not included in current models of carbon cycling and energy flow. This research will examine three questions: 1. Are photoheterotrophic microbes present and active in Antarctic waters in winter and summer? 2. Does community structure of photoheterotrophs shift between summer and winter? 3. Which microbial groups assimilate more DOM in light than in the dark? The research will test hypotheses about activity of photoheterotrophs in winter and in summer, shifts in community structure between light and dark seasons and the potentially unique impacts of photoheterotrophs on biogeochemical processes in the Antarctic. The project will directly support a graduate student, will positively impact the NSF REU program at the College of Marine and Earth Studies, and will include students from the nation?s oldest historical minority college. The results will be featured during weekly tours of Lewes facilities (about 1000 visitors per year) and during Coast Day, an annual open-house that attracts about 10,000 visitors.