The role of microbial diversity in the dynamics and stability of global methane consumption: microbial methane oxidation as a model-system for microbial ecology (METHECO) (EuroDIVERSITY 018)

甲烷氧化细菌(MOB)及其在一系列明确的环境条件和生境中的功能将被用作一个模型系统，以了解微生物生态学中的基本问题，并更深入地了解这一环境中非常重要的官能团的功能。CRP的总体目标是调查微生物和植物多样性如何影响与环境高度相关的甲烷氧化过程，以及生物多样性的变化如何影响这一功能及其对环境扰动的适应能力。在具有代表性的欧洲一组生境中以高度标准化的方式收集大型数据集(多样性和功能)，将为未来对微生物群落对不久的将来预见的环境扰动的功能稳定性进行任何评估或预测提供一份“蓝图”。将重点放在这一生态系统功能和细菌的这一功能群上，将使我们有可能回答与生物多样性在稳定和维持甲烷氧化方面的作用以及微生物多样性和生态学的一般问题有关的问题。CRP的目标是：(I)确定描述选定生境中微生物多样性的有意义的分类单位；(Ii)评估自然和人为干扰对这些生境的多样性、功能稳定性、恢复和被MOB重新定居的影响；(Iii)确定前一个目标中植物和微生物(原生动物和非MOB原核生物)多样性的作用；(Iv)标准化方法和解释，以便将所获得的数据集用作环境微生物生态学的模型。

Methane oxidising bacteria (MOB) and their functioning in a well defined set of environmental conditions and habitats will be used as a model system to understand basic questions in microbial ecology as well as to gain deeper insight into the function of this environmentally very important functional group. The overall aim of the CRP is to investigate how microbial and plant diversity influences the environmentally highly relevant process of methane oxidation and how changes in biodiversity affect this function and its resilience against environmental perturbations. Collecting a large dataset (diversity as well as function) in a highly standardised manner in a representative European set of habitats will yield a “blue print” for any future assessment or predictions of functional stability of microbial communities to environmental perturbation foreseen in the near future. Focusing on this ecosystem function and on this functional group of bacteria will make it possible to answer questions pertaining to both the role of biodiversity in stabilising and maintaining methane oxidation and to general issues of microbial diversity and ecology. The objectives of the CRP are to: (i) define meaningful taxonomic units which describe microbial diversity in a selected set of habitats (ii) assess the effects of natural and anthropogenic perturbations on diversity, functional stability, recovery and re-colonization of these habitats by MOB (iii) determine the role of plant and microbial (protozoa and non-MOB prokaryotes) diversity in the former objective (iv) standardise methodology and interpretation in order to use the dataset obtained as a model for environmental microbial ecology.