Collaborative Research: Function, activity, and adaptation of microbial communities in geochemically diverse subseafloor habitats

合作研究：地球化学多样化的海底生境中微生物群落的功能、活动和适应

• 批准号: 0926199
• 负责人: David Butterfield
• 金额: $ 29.3万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 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: 2009-09-15 至 2013-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0926199&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Function; activity; adaptation

The integration of both laboratory and field-based chemical and microbiological measurements into a quantitative predictive framework is crucial to understanding the microbial ecology of marine systems. This project work will provide a quantitative assessment of the functional diversity, activity, and physiological adaptation of microbial communities in geochemically diverse subseafloor habitats. Results will guide development of models for linking biogeochemical processes with particular microbial communities at deep-sea hydrothermal vents, with implications for other marine habitats as well. The focus of the effort is at Axial Seamount, a well-studied, active, deep-sea hydrothermal seamount in the NE Pacific Ocean. Samples already collected from Axial, along with a field program in Year 2, will serve as the foundation for the three objectives, which are to: 1. Determine and quantify the functional diversity and activity (expression) of key subseafloor microbial lineages at Axial Seamount. 2. Determine physiological adaptations to the subseafloor habitat by quantifying the growth response of Axial Seamount isolates to in-situ geochemical parameters. 3. Develop a quantitative predictive framework for linking particular types of geochemical vent conditions with specific microbial functional groups and activities at Axial Seamount. Specific outcomes of this project include the creation of a comprehensive quantitative microbiological and chemical dataset on diffuse and adjacent high-temperature vents within Axial Seamount. This database will include chemical measurements (gases, nutrients, metals, isotopes, and calculated Gibbs free energies) relevant to microbial metabolic processes that can be compared to microbiological data (abundance and activity of microbial lineages and functional genes, growth rates of subseafloor isolates at relevant environmental conditions) using statistical analysis to identify how specific microbial activity is linked to the geochemical environment. This project builds on previous studies of microbial population structure and geochemical measurements at Axial Seamount and addresses critical gaps in current knowledge and understanding that are impeding progress of modeling hydrothermal systems. Results will increase understanding of deep-sea hydrothermal ecosystems as well as provide new insights into controls on the distribution and activity of marine microbial communities throughout the world's oceans. Broader Impacts: This project is interdisciplinary in nature, at the interface of microbial ecology and deep-sea oceanography with direct links to international and national research and educational organizations. Methods development and results from this work will complement current subseafloor investigations at ridge flanks and active hydrothermal systems, including the NSF-Microbial Observatory on the Juan de Fuca Ridge in the North Pacific and the upcoming Integrated Ocean Drilling Program's North Pond expedition in the North Atlantic, as well as integrate with the newly developed NSF Research Coordination Network focused on the deep biosphere. Undergraduate and graduate students will be involved in curriculum development and laboratory and field research, allowing for one-on-one mentoring opportunities at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and Northwest Florida State College (NWF). In addition, the project includes a unique education and outreach effort that links MBL, a research institution, with NWF, a community college, in order to impact a group traditionally far removed from research science. During the three-year project, four community college students from NWF will actively participate in a research program at MBL through an internship opportunity. In addition, a classroom module incorporating real scientific data from this research program will be developed to greatly expand the number of community college students impacted by the work. Through the partnership, real cutting-edge science will be accessible to NWF students. Dissemination of the developed module to other community college instructors will facilitate an even broader impact, and this novel education and outreach effort will serve as a model to promote other researcher-community college teacher partnership programs.

将实验室和现场的化学和微生物测量整合到一个定量预测框架中，对于了解海洋系统的微生物生态学至关重要。本项目工作将对地球化学多样性海底下生境中微生物群落的功能多样性、活动和生理适应性进行定量评估。研究结果将指导建立模型，将生物地球化学过程与深海热液喷口的特定微生物群落联系起来，并对其他海洋生境产生影响。这项工作的重点是轴海山，这是东北太平洋一个经过充分研究的活跃深海热液海山。沿着第2年的实地项目，已经从Axial采集的样本将作为三个目标的基础，即：1.确定和量化轴海山海底下关键微生物谱系的功能多样性和活性（表达）。2.通过量化轴向海山分离物对原位地球化学参数的生长反应，确定对海底下生境的生理适应。3.建立一个定量预测框架，将特定类型的地球化学喷口条件与轴向海山的特定微生物功能群和活动联系起来。该项目的具体成果包括建立一个关于轴向海山内扩散和邻近高温喷口的全面定量微生物和化学数据集。该数据库将包括与微生物代谢过程有关的化学测量值（气体、营养物、金属、同位素和计算的吉布斯自由能），这些测量值可与微生物学数据（微生物谱系和功能基因的丰度和活动、相关环境条件下海底下分离物的生长率）进行比较，利用统计分析确定特定微生物活动与地球化学环境之间的联系。该项目建立在以前对轴海山微生物种群结构和地球化学测量的研究的基础上，并解决了目前知识和理解中阻碍热液系统建模进展的关键差距。研究结果将增进对深海热液生态系统的了解，并为控制全世界海洋中海洋微生物群落的分布和活动提供新的见解。更广泛的影响：该项目是跨学科性质的，处于微生物生态学和深海海洋学的界面，与国际和国家研究和教育组织有直接联系。这项工作的方法开发和成果将补充目前在海脊侧翼和活跃热液系统进行的海底下调查，包括在北太平洋胡安德富卡海脊的国家科学基金微生物观测站和即将在北大西洋进行的综合大洋钻探计划北池塘考察，并与新开发的国家科学基金研究协调网络相结合，重点是深层生物圈。本科生和研究生将参与课程开发和实验室和实地研究，允许在海洋生物实验室（MBL）和西北佛罗里达州立学院（NWF）一对一的指导机会。此外，该项目还包括一个独特的教育和推广工作，将研究机构MBL与社区学院NWF联系起来，以影响传统上远离研究科学的群体。在为期三年的项目中，来自NWF的四名社区大学生将通过实习机会积极参与MBL的研究项目。此外，还将开发一个课堂模块，其中包含来自该研究项目的真实的科学数据，以大大扩大受这项工作影响的社区大学生的数量。通过这种伙伴关系，NWF的学生将能够接触到真实的前沿科学。将开发的模块传播给其他社区学院教师将促进更广泛的影响，这种新的教育和推广工作将作为一个模式，以促进其他研究人员社区学院教师伙伴关系计划。