Collaborative Research: Microbial carbon cycling and its interactions with sulfur and nitrogen transformations in Guaymas Basin hydrothermal sediments

合作研究：瓜伊马斯盆地热液沉积物中微生物碳循环及其与硫和氮转化的相互作用

• 批准号: 1357360
• 负责人: Samantha Joye
• 金额: $ 44.61万
• 依托单位: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-02-01 至 2020-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1357360&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Microbial; carbon; cycling

Overview: Hydrothermally active sediments in the Guaymas Basin are dominated by novel microbial communities that catalyze important biogeochemical processes in these seafloor ecosystems. This project will investigate genomic potential, physiological capabilities and biogeochemical roles of key uncultured organisms from Guaymas sediments, especially the high-temperature anaerobic methane oxidizers that occur specifically in hydrothermally active sediments (ANME-1Guaymas). The study will focus on their role in carbon transformations, but also explore their potential involvement in sulfur and nitrogen transformations. First-order research topics include quantifying anaerobic methane oxidation under high temperature,in situ concentrations of phosphorus and methane , and with alternate electron acceptors; sulfate and sulfur-dependent microbial pathways and isotopic signatures under these conditions; and nitrogen transformations in methane-oxidizing microbial communities, hydrothermal mats and sediments. Intellectual Merit: This integrated biogeochemical and microbiological research will explore the pathways of and environmental controls on the consumption and production of methane, other alkanes, inorganic carbon, organic acids and organic matter that fuel the Guaymas sedimentary microbial ecosystem. The hydrothermal sediments of Guaymas Basin provide a spatially compact, high-activity location for investigating novel modes of methane cycling and carbon assimilation into microbial biomass. In the case of anaerobic methane oxidation, the high temperature and pressure tolerance of Guaymas Basin methane-oxidizing microbial communities, and their potential to uncouple from the dominant electron acceptor sulfate, vastly increase the predicted subsurface habitat space and biogeochemical role for anaerobic microbial methanotrophy in global deep subsurface diagenesis. Further, microbial methane production and oxidation interlocks with syulfur and nitrogen transformations, which will be explored at the organism and process level in hydrothermal sediment microbial communities and mats of Guaymas Basin. In general, first-order research tasks (rate measurements, radiotracer incorporation studies, genomes, in situ microgradients) define the key microbial capabilities, pathways and processes that mediate chemical exchange between the subsurface hydrothermal/seeps and deep ocean waters. Broader Impacts: The Zephyr Education Foundation, with its unique marine science literacy and education program will collaborate in the design of an educational field exercise. The Foundation is located in Woods Hole and coordinates school class field trips that include participating in hands-on learning and discovery on the water and in the laboratory. The questions, techniques, and relevance of this research will be presented in a manner that promotes awareness and understanding. Sediment coring, comparisons of coastal sediments to original Guaymas Basin sample materials, and side scan sonar demos that illustrate the challenges of sea floor mapping (a very real problem in hydrothermal vent research) will be performed as part of seagoing class trips with the Zephyr Foundation 40-foot boat RV Minuteman in the coastal waters of Woods Hole. The Foundation will present this unit as part of their on-board, hands-on marine science field trip series that is delivered to approximately 1,000 students and their teachers per year. This outreach component expands the ongoing collaboration of the PIs with Zephyr-led outreach activities. Day-by-day cruise blogs, written, illustrated and posted by the PI for three recent Atlantis/Alvin cruises are used extensively for teaching and engaging classes at UNC at the undergraduate level (Extreme microbes seminar for freshmen of all fields, and Introduction to Oceanography for junior/senior science majors). The PI will write a daily cruise blog for the next Guaymas Basin cruise and make short (3 min) videos at sea for web site posting and classroom use.

概述：瓜伊马斯盆地的热液活性沉积物以新型微生物群落为主，这些微生物群落催化这些海底生态系统中重要的生物地球化学过程。该项目将研究瓜伊马斯沉积物中关键未培养生物的基因组潜力、生理能力和生物地球化学作用，特别是专门存在于热液活性沉积物中的高温厌氧甲烷氧化剂（ANME-1瓜伊马斯）。该研究将重点关注它们在碳转化中的作用，同时也探讨它们在硫和氮转化中的潜在参与。一级研究课题包括高温、原位磷和​​甲烷浓度以及交替电子受体下厌氧甲烷氧化的量化；这些条件下的硫酸盐和硫依赖性微生物途径和同位素特征；甲烷氧化微生物群落、热液垫和沉积物中的氮转化。智力价值：这项综合生物地球化学和微生物学研究将探索为瓜伊马斯沉积微生物生态系统提供燃料的甲烷、其他烷烃、无机碳、有机酸和有机物的消耗和生产的途径和环境控制。瓜伊马斯盆地的热液沉积物为研究甲烷循环和碳同化为微生物生物质的新模式提供了一个空间紧凑、高活性的位置。在厌氧甲烷氧化的情况下，瓜伊马斯盆地甲烷氧化微生物群落的高温高压耐受性及其与主要电子受体硫酸盐解偶联的潜力，大大增加了全球深层地下成岩作用中厌氧微生物甲烷氧化作用的预测地下生境空间和生物地球化学作用。此外，微生物甲烷的产生和氧化与硫和氮的转化相互关联，这将在瓜伊马斯盆地的热液沉积物微生物群落和垫的有机体和过程水平上进行探索。一般来说，一阶研究任务（速率测量、放射性示踪剂掺入研究、基因组、原位微梯度）定义了介导地下热液/渗漏与深海水之间化学交换的关键微生物能力、途径和过程。更广泛的影响：Zephyr 教育基金会以其独特的海洋科学素养和教育计划将合作设计教育领域的练习。该基金会位于伍兹霍尔，负责协调学校班级实地考察，包括参与水上和实验室的实践学习和发现。本研究的问题、技术和相关性将以促进认识和理解的方式呈现。沉积物取芯、沿海沉积物与原始瓜伊马斯盆地样本材料的比较以及说明海底测绘挑战（热液喷口研究中一个非常现实的问题）的侧扫声纳演示将作为航海班旅行的一部分，使用 Zephyr 基金会 40 英尺长的 RV Minuteman 船在伍兹霍尔沿海水域进行。基金会将把该单元作为其船上实践海洋科学实地考察系列的一部分，每年向大约 1,000 名学生及其教师提供该系列活动。该外展部分扩大了 PI 与 Zephyr 主导的外展活动之间的持续合作。由PI为最近的三趟亚特兰蒂斯/阿尔文邮轮撰写、插图和发布的日常邮轮博客被广泛用于北卡罗来纳大学本科生的教学和参与课程（针对所有领域的新生的极端微生物研讨会，以及针对初中/高中科学专业的海洋学概论）。 PI 将为下次瓜伊马斯盆地巡航撰写每日巡航博客，并制作海上短视频（3 分钟）以供网站发布和课堂使用。