RAPID-Collaborative Research: The Microbial Response to the Gulf Oil Spill: Linking Metabolomes and Metagenomes

该项目将评估受墨西哥湾正在进行的深水地平线石油泄漏影响的微生物群落的影响和演变。 该项目涉及一个合作团队，汇集了所有必要领域的优势。 Pam Morris博士是一位高素质的海洋微生物学家，Joe Suflita博士是受碳氢化合物影响的微生物群落的微生物学专家。这是最新类型分析的及时和前沿应用，将联合收割机微生物代谢组学和宏基因组学方法相结合，以提供有关微生物群落反应的有意义的答案。该工作将利用现场正在进行的采样工作，并已组织适当的安排，以有利于拟议微生物工作的方式收集样本。 为此，PI正在与两个国家/联邦实验室密切合作：Terry哈岑博士（美国能源部劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室）和Richard Coffin博士（海军研究实验室）。 这将允许对受污染的羽流和沿海沉积物样品以及未受污染的对照样品进行采样。 因此，该项目将以一种与生态直接相关的方式采用非常高科技的方法。更广泛的影响：深水地平线石油泄漏现在被认为是美国历史上最大的海上泄漏事件。 该项目将产生关于泄漏对特定自然微生物系统影响的重要信息。 因此，这是一个不幸的，但有用的，实验性的机会，以发展坚实的科学认识，这些事件。该项目应有助于提供有关勘探和钻井企业的以事实为中心的政策决策所需的知识。 这是来自两个EPSCoR州（南卡罗来纳州俄克拉荷马州）的调查人员之间的新合作，并汇集了他们互补的专业知识。 每一个首席执行官都有长期的各级培训和教育历史。 虽然短的时间轴排除了一些通常预期的活动，PI将奋进寻找研究机会，特别是为本科生，参与研究。 显然，这样的研究经历可能既令人兴奋又有影响力。

This project will evaluate the impact and evolution of microbial communities impacted by the ongoing Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The project involves a collaborative team that brings together strengths in all the requisite areas. Dr. Pam Morris is a highly qualified marine microbiologist and Dr. Joe Suflita is an expert in the microbiology of hydrocarbon-impacted microbial communities. This is a timely and cutting edge application of the latest types of analyses that will combine microbial metabolomic and metagenomic approaches to provide meaningful answers regarding the response of the microbe communities in question. The work will take advantage of on-going sampling efforts on-site and have already organized the appropriate arrangements to have the samples collected in a manner conducive to the proposed microbial work. To do this, the PIs are working closely with two national/federal laboratories on this effort: Dr. Terry Hazen (US DOE Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) and Dr. Richard Coffin (Naval Research Laboratory). This will allow sampling of both contaminated in-plume and coastal sediment samples, as well as uncontaminated control samples. Thus, the project will bring to bear very high-tech approaches in a manner that will have direct ecological relevance.Broader Impacts:The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is now considered the largest offshore spill in U.S. history. This project will generate important information on the impacts of the spill on specific natural microbial systems. As such, it is an unfortunate, yet useful, experimental opportunity to develop solid scientific understanding of such events. The project should help provide the knowledge required for fact-centered policy decisions regarding exploration and drilling enterprise. This is a new collaboration between investigators from two EPSCoR states (South Carolina & Oklahoma), and brings together their complementary expertise. The PIs each have long histories of training and education at all levels. Though the short timeline precludes some of the normally anticipated activities, the PIs will endeavor to find research opportunities, especially for undergraduates, to participate in the research. Clearly, such a research experience could prove both exciting and influential.