Dimensions: Collaborative Research: Community genomic drivers of moss microbiome assembly and function in rapidly changing Alaskan ecosystems

维度：合作研究：快速变化的阿拉斯加生态系统中苔藓微生物组组装和功能的社区基因组驱动因素

• 批准号: 1542586
• 负责人: Michelle Mack
• 金额: $ 46.4万
• 依托单位: Northern Arizona University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-09-01 至 2022-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1542586&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dimensions; Collaborative; Research; Community; genomic

Mosses and their associated microbes are critical components of nutrient cycling in arctic ecosystems, yet many aspects of these communities are poorly understood. Moss-associated microbes are the major source of nitrogen to support plant growth in boreal and tundra ecosystems, meaning that rates of plant growth may be highly sensitive to the activity of mosses and their microbes, which "fix" nitrogen from the atmosphere into a form useful for plant growth. Importantly, the rates of nitrogen fixation depend in complex ways upon both the genetic diversity of the mosses and their associated microbial communities (microbiomes). However, we do not know which species (moss or microbial) are responsible for rate variation in this key biogeochemical process of nitrogen fixation, nor how these communities will function respond to a warming climate. This work will test for associations between genetic variation and nitrogen fixation in order to model the response of high northern latitude biodiversity and ecosystem function to climate change. The research will provide instrumental information about how environmental change will affect Arctic ecosystems and contribute insight into the resiliency of mosses and their associated microbiomes.The goal of the proposed work is to determine the effect of moss genetic diversity on the community assembly and function of the N-fixing microbiomes of two widespread and abundant mosses in boreal forest and arctic tundra ecosystems. The researchers will employ population genomics, functional gene sequencing, and stable isotope assays of N fixation rates along a large-scale climate gradient in Alaska that includes arctic and boreal Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) and National Environmental Observatory Network (NEON) sites. This interdisciplinary approach will enable the researchers to determine both the historical and contemporary drivers of variation in community assembly and function of this rapidly changing ecosystem, and predict how bryophyte-associated nitrogen fixation will change in a warmer climate. Thus the researchers will use moss-microbe interactions in high latitude systems as a model to inform our broader understanding of how biodiversity interacts with ecosystem function in the context of a changing climate.

苔藓及其相关微生物是北极生态系统养分循环的关键组成部分，但人们对这些群落的许多方面知之甚少。与苔藓相关的微生物是支持北方和苔原生态系统中植物生长的主要氮源，这意味着植物生长速度可能对苔藓及其微生物的活动高度敏感，苔藓及其微生物将大气中的氮“固定”成对植物生长有用的形式。重要的是，固氮速率以复杂的方式取决于苔藓的遗传多样性及其相关的微生物群落（微生物组）。然而，我们不知道哪些物种（苔藓或微生物）对固氮这一关键生物地球化学过程的速率变化负责，也不知道这些群落将如何应对气候变暖。这项工作将测试遗传变异与固氮之间的关联，以便模拟北高纬度生物多样性和生态系统功能对气候变化的响应。该研究将提供有关环境变化如何影响北极生态系统的有用信息，并有助于深入了解苔藓及其相关微生物组的弹性。拟议工作的目标是确定苔藓遗传多样性对北方森林和北极苔原生态系统中两种广泛且丰富的苔藓的群落组装和固氮微生物组功能的影响。研究人员将利用群体基因组学、功能基因测序和稳定同位素测定阿拉斯加大规模气候梯度的固氮率，其中包括北极和北方长期生态研究（LTER）和国家环境观测网络（NEON）站点。这种跨学科方法将使研究人员能够确定这个快速变化的生态系统的群落组装和功能变化的历史和当代驱动因素，并预测与苔藓植物相关的固氮在气候变暖时将如何变化。因此，研究人员将使用高纬度系统中的苔藓-微生物相互作用作为模型，帮助我们更广泛地了解气候变化背景下生物多样性如何与生态系统功能相互作用。