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要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显生宙是一个持续的地质和生物学之谜。研究纽约州费耶特维尔绿湖（Fayetteville Green Lake）的活微生物岩（由微生物形成的碳酸盐岩，相当于古代的珊瑚礁）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，以及它是如何被微小的单细胞捕食者（所谓的原生生物）的作用所改变的。了解原生生物在生活实例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。石油工业试图提高对微生物岩微观结构的理解。在巴西、刚果、厄立特里亚海岸和美国墨西哥湾发现了大型盐下储层，这对石油公司了解同样厚的盐层下非常深（约1-2公里厚）的微生物化石的记录提出了挑战。该项目将增加对织物孔隙度和储层岩石的理解，这是石油勘探决策的关键因素。主要的外展活动将是一个科学到艺术的巡回展览，与早期地球上的微生物生态系统和捕食有关，暂定的标题是“粘液世界的毁灭”（换句话说，微生物的捕食）。这个主题将引起广泛的兴趣，并将提供有关研究结果的解释，否则将逃避热爱艺术的公共部门。最古老的微生物化石是地球早期微生物生命最明显的表现形式。由于对微生物岩类型（如凝块血栓、叠层石）的微生物学和早期成岩作用的不完全了解，阻碍了对微生物岩类型（如凝块血栓、叠层石）结构差异的理解。现存海洋微生物的原核生物多样性已经得到了很好的确定，然而，直到最近，居住在这些结构中的异养原生生物及其对介结构的影响尚不清楚。缺乏对非海洋微生物的比较研究。纽约费耶特维尔绿湖（FGL）是一个元古代海洋模拟物，在非海洋环境中支持现存的微生物。研究将评估真核生物，特别是原生生物，在微生物岩结构修饰中的作用，以及在早期成岩作用中从层状结构到凝块结构的可能转变。使用FGL材料将解决以下四个假设：通过测序、荧光标记嵌入式核心方法和各种显微镜方法评估微生物和非微生物栖息地的生物多样性和活动。2. 利用微电极和主要的原位微生物活动来确定生物地球化学，以联系微生物群、元素分布和介纤维。3. 使用微ct扫描获取微生物岩介构信息。4. 结合SEM-EDS和基于同步加速器的微xrf分析介纤维特征，特别是血块，以确定黄铁矿和生物金属的存在。5. 采用播种试验确定有孔虫对微生物岩介构的影响。6. 执行?迫使成岩作用?通过在高压/高温下培养微生物石样品，使用SEM，µCT和µXRF扫描检查介纤维的变化。7. 使用扫描电子显微镜和岩石薄片检查残余的血栓中间结构是否有真核生物活性/存在。

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.