Collaborative Research: Alteration of microbially-produced carbonate rock by unicellular predators to better understand early Earth's dominant ecosystem

合作研究：微生物产生的碳酸盐岩被单细胞捕食者改变，以更好地了解早期地球的主导生态系统地球如何从微生物主导的前寒武纪世界过渡到具有复杂多细胞生命的古生代是一个持续的地质和生物学之谜。研究纽约费耶特维尔绿色湖的活微生物岩（微生物建造的碳酸盐岩，珊瑚礁的古代对应物）将有助于解开这个谜团。这项跨学科的研究将揭示这些活岩石的内部结构是如何由微生物形成的，以及它是如何通过微观单细胞捕食者（所谓的原生生物）的作用而改变的。了解原生生物在活的例子中的作用将有助于破译岩石记录中的微生物，最终提高对早期地球生命进化的理解。石油工业寻求提高对微生物岩微观结构的理解。在巴西、刚果、厄立特里亚和美国墨西哥湾沿海发现的大型盐下储层对石油公司提出了挑战，要求他们了解同样厚的盐层下存在的非常深（约1-2 km厚）的微生物化石记录。该项目将增加对组构孔隙度和储集岩的理解，这是石油勘探决策中的关键因素。主要的外展活动将是一个通过艺术进行科学的巡回展览，与微生物岩生态系统和早期地球上的捕食有关，暂定名称为“史莱姆世界的毁灭”（换言之，微生物岩的捕食）。这一主题将引起广泛的兴趣，并将以热爱艺术的公共部门无法理解的方式对研究结果进行解释。最古老的微生物化石是早期地球上微生物生命最明显的表现。理解微生物岩类型之间的结构差异（例如，凝块凝块岩、层状叠层石）的研究受到对其微生物学和早期成岩作用的不完全了解的阻碍。现存的海洋微生物中的原生生物多样性是公认的，然而，直到最近，异养原生生物栖息在这些结构和它们对中纤维的影响是未知的。对非海洋微生物的比较研究还很缺乏。费耶特维尔绿色湖纽约（FGL），元古代海洋模拟，支持现存的微生物在非海洋环境。调查将评估的作用，真核生物，特别是原生生物，在微生物组构的修改，并在可能的过渡，从层压到凝块mesofabrics在早期成岩作用。四个假设将解决使用FGL材料与这些特定的目标：1。通过测序、双标记嵌入核心法和各种显微镜方法评估微生物群落和非微生物群落栖息地的生物多样性和活动。2.使用微电极和主要的原位微生物活动来连接微生物群，元素分布和中纤维，确定土壤地球化学。3.使用microCT扫描获得微生物组细观结构信息。4.结合联合收割机SEM-EDS和基于同步加速器的microXRF分析中纤维特征，特别是凝块，以确定黄铁矿和生物金属的存在。5.通过播种实验确定有孔虫对微生物中孔织物的影响。6.表演？强制成岩作用通过在高压/高温下培养微生物岩样品，使用SEM、µCT和µXRF扫描检查介孔织物的变化。7.使用SEM和岩相学薄片检查残留血栓岩中纤维是否存在以前的真核生物活性。

Collaborative Research: Alteration of microbially-produced carbonate rock by unicellular predators to better understand early Earth's dominant ecosystemHow Earth transitioned from a microbe-dominated Precambrian world to the Phanerozoic Era with complex multicellular life is a continuing geological and biological riddle. Studying living microbialites (carbonate rocks built by microbes, ancient counterparts of coral reefs) in Fayetteville Green Lake, NY, will help solve this riddle. This interdisciplinary study will reveal how the internal structure of these living rocks is formed by microbes and how it is altered by the action of microscopic unicellular predators (so-called protists). Understanding the role of protists in living examples will help to decipher microbialites in the rock record, ultimately improving understanding of the evolution of life on early Earth. The petroleum industry seeks to improve understanding of microbialites' microstructure. The discovery of large subsalt reservoirs off the coast of Brazil, Congo, Eritrea and in the US Gulf of Mexico challenged oil companies to understand the record of very deep (~1-2 km thick) fossil microbialites present underneath an equally thick salt layer. This project will increase the understanding of fabric porosity, and reservoir rocks, critical factors in decision-making during oil exploration. The major outreach activity will be a Science through Art traveling exhibition related to microbialite ecosystems and predation on early Earth, with a tentative title of "Decimation of Slime World" (in other words, predation of microbialites). This theme will generate wide interest, and will offer explanations about the research findings in ways that would otherwise escape the art-loving public sector.The oldest fossil microbialites are the most visible manifestations of microbial life on early Earth. Comprehension of structural differences between microbialite types (e.g., clotted thrombolites, laminated stromatolites) is hampered by incomplete knowledge of their microbiology and early diagenesis. Prokaryotic diversity in extant marine microbialites is well established, however, until recently heterotrophic protists inhabiting these structures and their impact on mesofabric were unknown. A comparative study of non-marine microbialites is lacking. Fayetteville Green Lake NY (FGL), a Proterozoic ocean analog, supports extant microbialites in a non-marine setting. Investigations will assess the role of eukaryotes, notably protists, in microbialite fabric modification and in the possible transition from laminated to clotted mesofabrics during early diagenesis. Four hypotheses will be addressed using FGL materials with these specific aims: 1. Assess biodiversity and activities in microbialites and non-microbialite habitats via sequencing, Fluorescently Labeled Embedded Core method, and various microscopy methods. 2. Determine biogeochemistry using microelectrodes and major in situ microbial activities to link microbiota, element distribution, and mesofabric. 3. Obtain microbialite mesofabric information using microCT scanning. 4. Combine SEM-EDS and Synchrotron-based microXRF to analyze mesofabric features, especially clots, for presence of pyrite and biogenic metals. 5. Determine impact of foraminifera on microbialite mesofabric using seeding experiment. 6. Perform ?forced diagenesis? by incubating microbialite samples under elevated pressure/temperature, inspecting changes in mesofabric using SEM, µCT and µXRF scanning. 7. Use SEM and petrographic thin sections to examine relict thrombolite mesofabric for former eukaryote activity/presence.