Dimensions: Collaborative Research: Microbial Biodiversity and Functionality in Deep Shale and its Interfaces

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This research will probe microbial life and function in a rarely examined habitat: kilometer-deep black shale, which is a critical component of the U.S. energy portfolio. It also represents an ecosystem under immediate risk for biodiversity change as a result of energy industry use of new horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies. The deep shale biosphere stores an abundance of methane and other oil hydrocarbons that provide carbon and energy resources for microorganisms both within the shale and along its bounding formations. The extreme conditions encountered within these rocks include the absence of light for photosynthesis, sub-micron pore-spaces, elevated temperatures, high pressures, and brine fluid chemistry. Each of these environmental factors may strongly influence the origin, adaptation and function of the microbial population. The Marcellus and Utica-Point Pleasant shale within the Appalachian basin of West Virginia and Ohio is one of the largest unconventional reserves in the U.S. This shale will serve as a case study to broadly characterize the microbial biodiversity and function in black shale and its bounding rock interfaces. Research objectives include inferring the origin of microbial life with respect to geologic history of these formations, exploring how microorganisms have adapted to the current deep biosphere environment, and investigating the metabolic strategies used to sequester nutrient resources given the extreme environmental conditions encountered in this ecosystem. The investigators will undertake the first genomic survey of indigenous microbial populations in shale and its interfaces. This research will greatly expand our knowledge of microbial life and function in shale prior to broad-scale environmental disturbance as a result of energy exploitation. The project will also provide further insight into microbial carbon cycling in the deep terrestrial biosphere. The project participants will develop exhibit materials for local venues (e.g. schools, libraries, museums) where the broader public can get to know the residents of the deep subsurface, learn about their characteristics and preferences, match microbes with their deep-sea cousins, and witness what this research has revealed about community structure before and after drilling. Research findings will be communicated to students and the broader public through a variety of educational activities at a joint Ohio State University (OSU)-West Virginia University (WVU) Shale Energy and Environmental Laboratory. Investigators and trainees will also disseminate knowledge on shale energy topics to non-profits, regulatory agencies, academics, and other stakeholders in the Appalachian region through regular workshops and workgroup meetings led by OSU?s Subsurface Energy Resource Center and OSU/WVU Extension Offices.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.