Collaborative Research: The Role of Snow Patches on the Spatial Distribution of Soil Microbial Communities and Biogeochemical Cycling in the Antarctic Dry Valleys

合作研究：雪斑对南极干谷土壤微生物群落空间分布和生物地球化学循环的作用

• 批准号: 0838922
• 负责人: John Barrett
• 金额: $ 24.41万
• 依托单位: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-08-15 至 2012-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0838922&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Role; Snow; Patches

AbstractThis award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Two models have been proposed to describe controls over microbial biogeography. One model proposes that microbes are ubiquitously distributed across the global environment, and that environmental conditions select for taxa physiologically adapted to local physical conditions. An alternative model predicts that dispersal is the important limitation to the distribution of microorganisms and that spatial heterogeneity of microbial communities is a result of both dispersal and local environmental limitations. According to both models, spatial heterogeneity of microbial communities may be especially pronounced in extreme ecosystems where the environmental selection for organisms with suitable physiology is most strongly manifest. We propose that Antarctic terrestrial environments are ideal places to examine microbial biogeography for 3 reasons: 1) the pristine nature and remoteness of Antarctica minimizes the prevalence of exotic species dispersed through human vectors; 2) the extreme conditions of Antarctic environments provide a strong environmental filter which limits the establishment of non-indigenous taxa; and 3) extreme heterogeneity in the terrestrial environment provides natural gradients of soil conditions (temperature, water and nutrient availability). In the proposed research we will investigate the influence of snow on the composition and spatial distribution of soil microbial communities and linked biogeochemical cycling in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. We will conduct fieldwork at the landscape scale (repeated remote sensing to characterize snow distribution), at the valley and patch scales (quantify snow patch ablation, microbial communities and biogeochemical cycling in subnivian soils). We hypothesize that snow patches play an important role in structuring the spatial distribution of soil microbial communities and their associated ecosystem functioning because of the physical and hydrological influences that snow patches have on the soil environment. The research will contribute to greater public awareness of the importance of polar research to fundamental questions of biology, ecology and hydrology through direct linkages with International Antarctic Institute public outreach activities, including dissemination of web-based learning units on environmental science and microbiology, targeted as resources for secondary and post-secondary educators. Three graduate students, one postdoctoral scholar and multiple undergraduates will participate in the research activities.

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。已经提出了两个模型来描述微生物生物地理学的控制。一种模型提出，微生物在全球环境中无处不在地分布，环境条件选择适合当地物理条件的生理上适应的分类群。另一种模型预测，扩散是微生物分布的重要限制，微生物群落的空间异质性是扩散和局部环境限制的结果。根据这两个模型，微生物群落的空间异质性在极端生态系统中可能特别明显，在那里，对具有合适生理条件的生物的环境选择最为明显。我们认为南极陆地环境是研究微生物生物地理学的理想场所，原因有三：1)南极的原始自然和偏远使通过人类媒介传播的外来物种的流行降到最低；2)南极环境的极端条件提供了强大的环境过滤器，限制了非本土类群的建立；3)陆地环境的极端异质性提供了土壤条件(温度、水和养分有效性)的自然梯度。在拟议的研究中，我们将调查雪对麦克默多干旱河谷土壤微生物群落组成和空间分布的影响，以及与之相关的生物地球化学循环。我们将在景观尺度(重复遥感以确定雪的分布)、山谷和斑块尺度(量化雪片烧蚀、微生物群落和亚尼罗纪土壤中的生物地球化学循环)进行实地工作。我们假设，由于雪斑对土壤环境的物理和水文影响，雪斑在构建土壤微生物群落的空间分布及其相关的生态系统功能方面发挥着重要作用。这项研究将通过与国际南极研究所的直接联系，促进公众更多地认识到极地研究对生物学、生态学和水文学基本问题的重要性，包括传播环境科学和微生物学的网上学习单元，作为中学和大专教育工作者的资源。三名研究生、一名博士后学者和多名本科生将参加研究活动。