Collaborative: Characterization of Marine and Freshwater Photosynthetic Consortia that Accomplish Cellulose Degradation and Nitrogen Fixation

环境中的营养循环是由复杂的微生物群落进行的。 鉴于大多数自然系统的分类、功能和生物化学多样性，解开自然界中驱动碳和氮循环的有机体相互作用网络是一项具有挑战性的任务。该项目将研究一系列源自环境的淡水和海洋光合微生物群落，这些微生物群落分别以纤维素和二氮作为唯一的碳和氮来源。 这些社区包含不同的人口，可以降解氮贫纤维素，固定大气中的N2，并通过光合作用在不同的光波长在厌氧条件下收获光能。这项研究的目标是通过使用生物化学，分子和基于模型的分析，对社区结构，生产力和生物体相互作用之间的联系产生新的见解，从而产生稳定的营养循环微生物系统。 这些环境衍生的联合体可以提供关于如何在海洋和淡水条件下将纤维素、N2和光等可再生资源有效转化为细胞生物质和其他可用产品的见解。这项研究将在主要的本科院校奥林学院和非营利研究机构海洋生物实验室（MBL）进行。这些机构之间的互动将为本科生培养提供丰富的机会。本科生将强烈参与所有的培养，生物化学和在奥林学院财团的生理特征。他们将在MBL接触高通量测序和生物信息学的尖端技术。这将为研究生课程和一系列科学职业提供宝贵的经验，鼓励和准备。这项研究产生的数据将被带入课堂，并纳入课程，以加强学生使用真实数据学习生物信息学。 本科生将参与这项研究的各个方面，将在科学会议上展示结果，并将共同撰写手稿。

Intellectual MeritNutrient cycling in the environment is carried out by complex microbial communities. Unraveling the network of organismal interactions that drive carbon and nitrogen cycling in nature is a challenging task given the taxonomic, functional, and biochemical diversity of most natural systems. This project will study a series of environmentally derived freshwater and marine photosynthetic microbial communities that grow using cellulose and dinitrogen as sole sources of carbon and nitrogen, respectively. These communities contain distinct populations that can degrade nitrogen-poor cellulose, fix atmospheric N2, and harvest light energy through photosynthesis at different light wavelengths under anaerobic conditions. The goal of this research is to generate new insights into the links between community structure, productivity, and organismal interactions that produce stable nutrient-cycling microbial systems by using biochemical, molecular, and model-based analyses. These environmentally derived consortia can provide insight into how renewable resources such as cellulose, N2, and light can be efficiently converted into cell biomass and other usable products under marine and freshwater conditions. Broader ImpactsThis research will be conducted at the primarily undergraduate institution, Olin College and the non-profit research institution, Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL). The interaction between these institutions will provide rich opportunities for undergraduate training. Undergraduates will be strongly involved in all cultivation, biochemical, and physiological characterization of consortia at Olin College. They will be exposed to cutting edge techniques in high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics at the MBL. This will provide valuable experience, encouragement and preparation for graduate programs and for a range of careers in science. The data generated by this research will be brought into the classroom and integrated into curricula to enhance student learning of bioinformatics using authentic data. Undergraduates will be involved in all aspects of this research, will present results at scientific meetings, and will co-author manuscripts.