EAGER-NEON: Exploring Ecosystem Contributions of Microbial Diversity to the Vertical Atmosphere

EAGER-NEON：探索微生物多样性对垂直大气的生态系统贡献

• 批准号: 1550748
• 负责人: Kathryn Docherty
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: Western Michigan University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1550748&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; NEON; Exploring; Ecosystem; Contributions

Little is known about airborne microbial communities (AMCs), which include bacteria and fungi. The project will sample the composition of AMCs at five altitudes above four natural ecosystem types in North America that are characterized by NEON core sites. A novel combination of tethered and launched balloon-borne samplers will be used to collect samples up to 25 km in the atmosphere. Within the ecosystems, samples over urban and non-urban areas will be collected. The characterization of this little know life zone will contribute to a basic knowledge of the life around us and help to better understand biosphere function and human impacts on it.This exploratory research will sample bacteria, archaea, and fungi in the atmosphere. Validated aerial microbial samplers using balloon technology will be employed. Atmospheric measures will be compared with surface samples. Abundances will be quantified by genetic sequencing. NEON data will be used to determine soil microbes and dominant vegetation, which will be evaluated as predictors of AMCs. Descriptions of the data and hypothesis tests on the similarity of samples by ecosystem, altitude, season, and urbanization will be carried out using statistical methods common in vegetation community studies. Broader impacts, in addition to increasing basic knowledge, will include training opportunities for undergraduate honors students, pairing biology and engineering majors and targeted at under-represented groups.

人们对空气中的微生物群落(AMCs)知之甚少，其中包括细菌和真菌。该项目将采样北美四种自然生态系统类型以上五个海拔高度的AMC的组成，这些类型的生态系统以霓虹灯核心站点为特征。一种新型的系绳和发射气球携带的采样器组合将被用来在大气中采集长达25公里的样本。在生态系统内，将收集城市和非城市地区的样本。对这个鲜为人知的生命带的描述将有助于我们对周围生命的基本知识，并有助于更好地了解生物圈的功能和人类对其的影响。这项探索性研究将对大气中的细菌、古菌和真菌进行采样。将使用使用气球技术的经过验证的航空微生物采样器。大气测量将与地面样本进行比较。丰度将通过基因测序进行量化。霓虹灯数据将被用来确定土壤微生物和优势植被，这些将被评估为AMC的预测因子。将使用植物群落研究中常用的统计方法对数据进行描述，并对按生态系统、海拔、季节和城市化划分的样本的相似性进行假设检验。除了增加基础知识，更广泛的影响将包括为本科优等生提供培训机会，将生物学和工程学专业配对，并针对代表性不足的群体。