Collaborative Research: Integration of Deep Ocean Benthic Sampler Technology with Microbial Biogeochemistry of Methane Seeps and Isolation of Piezophilic Deep-Sea Sediment Microbes

细菌和古菌占地球生物量的一半，并推动主要的生物地球化学循环，因为它们能够催化广泛的化学反应。它们构成了各种生态系统的基础，然而我们对其中许多环境中微生物群落的功能的了解仍然有限。对于深海沉积物尤其如此，那里有很大一部分微生物生物圈存在于较高的静水压力(高达110兆帕；1086大气压)和低温下。这阻止了这些环境中的许多微生物(如果不是大多数微生物)在实验室进行培养，这表明我们只触及了这些环境中微生物群落的代谢潜力和生理多样性程度的皮毛。从生物地球化学的角度来看，静水压力还可以极大地影响微生物生态系统内的化学梯度，特别是在含有天然气和天然气水合物的深海沉积物中。保存这些环境中的沉积物样品是一项特别的挑战，因为采样和取回之间的时间可能长达数小时，压力、温度的变化可能导致大量气体外泄，破坏取回的沉积物样品的结构完整性，并改变所含微生物群落的组成和活动。深海底栖采样器(DOBS)具有深海微生物生态和生物地球化学领域独有的能力，能够获得无污染的岩芯，并在回收到船上后保持现场的压力和温度条件。皮？S建议将深海海底采样器(DOBS)开发成海洋学界可用来获取在现场条件下保存的未受干扰的沉积物岩芯进行生物地球化学和微生物分析的常规仪器。广泛影响：这是一项新技术，引起了多个科学领域的广泛研究人员的兴趣。知识的增长将不会停留在不同的科学家群体中，而是会引起各种各样的科学家以及/或公众的兴趣。鉴于深海是地球上最大的生态系统，目前我们对深海栖息地的了解非常有限。提交人很好地照顾了本科生和研究生的教育方案，包括女性和少数民族。这项激动人心的科学将得到充分的公众宣传。

Bacteria and archaea account for half the biomass on Earth and drive major biogeochemical cycles, due to their ability to catalyze a broad spectrum of chemical reactions. They form the basis of various ecosystems, yet our understanding of the functioning of the microbial communities in many of these environments is still limited.This is particularly true for deep ocean sediments, which harbor a significant portion of the microbial biosphere existing under elevated hydrostatic pressure (up to 110 MPa; 1086 atm) and low temperatures. This prevents many, if not most microorganisms from these environments from being cultured in the laboratory, suggesting that we have only scratched the surface of the metabolic potential and the extent of physiological diversity of the microbial communities inhabiting these environments. From a biogeochemical standpoint, hydrostatic pressure can also dramatically influence chemical gradients within microbial ecosystems, in particular in gas- and gas-hydrate bearing deep-sea sediments. Preservation of sediment samples from these environments is a particular challenge in that the time between sampling and retrieval can be hours and changes in pressure, temperature can result in substantial out-gassing that destroys the structural integrity of the retrieved sediment sample as well as changes the composition and activity of the contained microbial communities. The Deep Ocean Benthic Sampler (DOBS) possesses a capability that is unique to the fields of deep-sea microbial ecology and biogeochemistry, the ability to obtain a contamination-free core and preserve in situ conditions of pressure and temperature upon retrieval to the ship. The PI?s propose to develop Deep Ocean Benthic Sampler (DOBS) into a routine instrument that can be used by the oceanographic community to obtain undisturbed sediment cores maintained under in situ conditions for biogeochemical and microbiological analyses.Broader Impacts: This is a novel technology that is of interest for a broad range of researchers from several fields of science. The knowledge gain will not remain in a distinct community of scientists but will be of interest for a wide variety of scientists as well as or the public. Given that the deep sea is the largest ecosystem on earth, our knowledge about deep sea habitats is very limited at present. The authors take good care of educational programs for undergraduate and graduate students including females and minorities. Ample public outreach of the exciting science will be achieved.