EAR-PF: Quantifying the Geochemical-Microbial Connection Using Thermodynamics and Environmental Data

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Dr. Jeffrey Dick is awarded an NSF Earth Science Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a program of research and education at Arizona State University. The investigation will explore, using a thermodynamic framework, the physical-chemical factors that support communities of microbes in a hot spring at Yellowstone National Park. Environmental genomics data will be coupled with geochemical measurements including temperature, oxidation-reduction potential and elemental concentrations to predict for the first time the relative abundances of proteins as well as the diversity of the microbial populations in this system. Placing the environmental genomic and geochemical data into the same thermodynamically derived frame of reference is crucial to a rigorous theoretical analysis of the geobiological system responses to environmental gradients. It can also aid in the growing challenge of interpreting large amounts of environmental data and in deducing possible geochemical imprints on the genomic relationships. The approach will bring together insights from biogeochemistry and environmental genomics to identify the amino acid compositions of enzymes that are involved in the cycles of carbon, nitrogen and other elements.An expected outcome of this project is the development of a software implementation of the computational models that can then be modified to investigate the geochemical limits of different metabolic pathways in other extreme environments. The fellow will engage in outreach and educational activities by developing an interactive presentation for the annual Earth and Space Science Day at Arizona State University and by assisting faculty and undergraduate students in a senior group project to conceive and carry out a mission of geobiological exploration.