CAREER: Mlcrobial Lipidomics in Changing Oceans (MILCO)

海洋生态系统对全球环境变化的响应是海洋科学家和公众关注的重要问题。拟议的研究重点是开发化学工具，以调查海洋微生物如何响应和适应周围环境的变化，如气温上升、海洋酸化、氧气损失和营养物质的可获得性。脂类的修饰(也称为生物标志物，或脂肪)存在于所有已知的生命形式的细胞膜中，使有机体能够应对环境压力。该团队将使用“脂质组学”，这是一个新兴的领域，涉及研究特定生物体或整个生态系统产生的一整套脂质，以了解微生物如何适应影响海洋的全球范围的环境变化。他们将利用中观和微观世界实验来做到这一点。中微子系统是在半控制条件下研究自然环境的大型户外实验系统。微观世界是小规模的室内实验系统，允许用一个或多个参数对单个生物体或简化的生态系统进行受控实验。这些系统提供了关于水生生态系统的功能及其与物理和化学环境的相互作用的无与伦比的教学机会。在开展研究工作的同时，科罗拉多州立大学博尔德分校的研究小组将领导一项努力，以加强双语(英语/西班牙语)海洋教育课程和活动，面向学校儿童和教师，特别是来自贫困家庭的学生，以及内陆科罗拉多州的公众。脂类组学的最新进展现在允许使用脂类作为微生物适应环境变化的指示剂。这个职业项目采用综合实验和教育方法，以检验：(A)通过大型中层生态系统实验探索，暴露在与不同上升流强度有关的多种环境应激源下的自然微生物群落的脂质重塑；(B)从微观世界和文化实验中分离出来的、受到选定环境应激源影响的关键浮游植物种群的脂质重塑；(C)新的双语(英语/西班牙语)教育单元和外联机会，这些单元和外联机会将加强海洋知识，从而激励和增强公民促进海洋健康的能力。这项工作将检验压倒一切的假设，即实验研究允许区分不同生物来源(系统发育)引起的脂体变化和暴露在不断变化的物理化学条件下的来源生物的生理适应(脂质重塑)。结果将阐明完整的极脂在观测海洋学中的应用，以研究微生物对未来全球变化情景的适应--这一点到目前为止还没有经过严格的测试。此外，这项研究还将进一步解释保存在海洋沉积物中的生物标志物是过去微生物和生物地球化学过程的示踪物。将通过海洋学校实施教育重点，其中包括：(A)为5-8年级的学生开发教育单元(Mason-Jar中的微型世界和自家后院的中间世界实验)，将在当地学校进行测试，然后在科罗拉多州立大学博尔德分校既定的教育和外联计划中传播；(B)在高中生以及少数民族和社区大学生中促进海洋素养；(C)培训下一代科学教育工作者和志愿者(海洋巡警)开展促进海洋素养的活动。此外，这项研究的结果将作为全球变化和有机地球化学本科课程开发的基础。与加州大学自然历史博物馆通过博物馆女孩探索科学(游戏)计划、科学发现计划、CIRES的教育和外展办公室以及内陆海洋联盟的主要合作伙伴关系，将为向更广泛的学生和公众传播海上学校提供平台。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The response of ocean ecosystems to global environmental change is an important concern for ocean scientists and the public. The proposed research focuses on developing chemical tools to investigate how marine microbes respond and adapt to changes in their surrounding environment, such as increasing temperature, ocean acidification, oxygen loss, and availability of nutrients. Modifications in the lipids (a.k.a. biomarkers, or fats) present in the cell membranes of all known forms of life allow organisms to cope with environmental stress. The team will use “lipidomics,” an emerging field that involves studying the complete set of lipids produced by a given organism or an entire ecosystem, to understand how microbes can adapt to the global-scale changes in the environment impacting the ocean. They will do this using mesocosm and microcosm experiments. Mesocosms are large-scale outdoor experimental systems that examine the natural environment under semi-controlled conditions. Microcosms are small-scale indoor experimental systems that allow controlled experimentation of individual organisms or simplified ecosystems with one or more parameters. These systems offer unparalleled teaching opportunities about the functioning of aquatic ecosystems and their interaction with the physical and chemical environment. In parallel with the research efforts, the CU Boulder team will lead an effort to enhance bilingual (English/Spanish) ocean educational curriculum and activities for school children and teachers, particularly from underprivileged backgrounds, as well as the general public in the landlocked state of Colorado. Recent advances in lipidomics now allow the use of lipids as indicators of microbial adaptation to environmental change. This CAREER project uses an integrated experimental and educational approach to examine: (a) lipid remodeling in natural microbial communities exposed to multiple environmental stressors tied to varying upwelling intensity, explored through large scale mesocosm experiments; b) lipid remodeling in key phytoplankton groups isolated from upwelling ecosystems, subjected to selected environmental stressors in microcosm and culture experiments; and (c) new bilingual (English/Spanish) educational modules and outreach opportunities that will enhance ocean literacy with the aim of inspiring and empowering citizens to promote the health of our oceans. The work will test the overarching hypotheses that experimental studies allow the distinction between changes in lipidome caused by varying biological sources (phylogeny) and physiological adaptation (lipid remodeling) of source organisms exposed to changing physical-chemical conditions. Results will illuminate the application of intact polar lipids (IPLs) in observational oceanography for the study of microbial adaptation to future scenarios of global change—something that to date has not been rigorously tested. In addition, this study will further inform the interpretation of biomarkers preserved in marine sediments as tracers of past microbial and biogeochemical processes. The educational focus will be implemented through the School at Sea that includes: (a) development of educational modules (Microcosm-in-a-Mason-jar and Mesocosm-in-my-backyard experiments) for students in grades 5-8 that will be tested in local schools and then disseminated in stablished education and outreach programs at CU Boulder; (b) promotion of ocean literacy among high school students as well as minority and community college undergraduate students; (c) training of the next generation of science educators and volunteers (Sea Rangers) in activities that will promote ocean literacy. Furthermore, results from this study will serve as the basis for curriculum development for undergraduate courses in global change and organic geochemistry. Key partnerships with CU’s Museum of Natural History through the Girls At the Museum Exploring Science (GAMES) program, Science Discovery Program, and CIRES’s Education and Outreach Office, as well as the Inland Ocean Coalition will provide platforms for the dissemination of School at Sea to a broader audience of students and the general public.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.