Microbial Metabolites in Marine DOM

化学海洋学领域最大的挑战之一是对溶解有机质(DOM)池的成分进行化学表征。DOM的组成在短时间尺度上变化迅速，这些变化可能与海洋微生物活动期间产生的代谢物有关。当在大的空间和时间尺度上平均时，单个微生物的代谢活动和微生物之间的化学相互作用在观察到的全球元素循环中达到顶峰。因此，能够准确地描述DOM池的主要成分将使科学家能够预测不断变化的海洋化学对微生物活动以及海洋碳循环的影响。来自伍兹霍尔海洋研究所(WHOI)的Kujawinski博士将使用高分辨率质谱仪来表征海洋生物产生的特定DOM代谢物，以将特定化合物与生物特定的代谢途径联系起来。通过这项研究，她将能够确定在海洋环境中的细胞-细胞相互作用中发挥重要作用的DOM化合物，这可能提供化学框架，以加强我们对海洋中发生的短期DOM可变性和微生物过程的理解。更广泛的影响：这项研究为资助一名应届研究生做好了准备。在这项研究期间开发的方法将提供给WHOI FT-MS设施的所有用户。此外，将为可能希望使用该设施的非WHOI学生和博士后研究人员增加旅行基金。这一基金通过使机构外的人更容易获得该设施来扩展研究基础设施。

One of the biggest challenges in the field of chemical oceanography is chemically characterizing the components of the dissolved organic matter (DOM) pool. The composition of DOM changes rapidly on short time scales and these changes could be linked to metabolites that are produced during marine microbial activity. When averaged over large spatial and temporal scales, the metabolic activity of individual microorganisms and the chemical interactions between microbes culminate in the observed global elemental cycles. Thus, being able to accurately characterize the major components of the DOM pool would allow scientists to predict the impact of changing ocean chemistry on microbial activity, as well as the marine carbon cycle. Dr. Kujawinski from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) will use high resolution mass spectrometry to characterize specific DOM metabolites produced by marine organisms to link specific compounds with specific metabolic pathways of organisms. Through this research, she will be able to identify the DOM compounds that play a significant role in cell-cell interactions in the marine environment, which could provide the chemical framework to enhance our understanding of the short-term DOM variability and microbial processes that take place in the ocean. Broader Impacts: This research makes provision for support of a new graduate student. The methods developed during this research will be offered to all users of the WHOI FT-MS facility. Furthermore, a travel fund will be augmented for non-WHOI students and postdoctoral researchers who might wish to use the facility. This fund extends the research infrastructure by making the facility more accessible to those outside the institution.