NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: Symbiosis as a Means of Survival for Biological Soil Crust Microbes

研究员姓名：艾琳·卡尔提案编号：2209217研究标题：共生作为生物土壤结皮微生物的生存手段赞助科学家（S）和主办机构（S）：史蒂文哈里斯，爱荷华州州立大学;和韦恩Riekhof，内布拉斯加州-林肯大学行动基金的NSF博士后生物学研究奖学金为2021财年，综合研究调查基因组，环境和表型之间的生命管理相互作用的规则。该研究金支持研究员的研究和培训，以创新的方式为生活规则领域做出贡献。该项目旨在了解沙漠土壤中生长的微生物如何利用化学相互作用获得重要的营养物质并承受沙漠生态系统的极端压力。生活在沙漠土壤中的微生物包括细菌、藻类、真菌和地衣。大多数研究关注的是光合细菌和藻类，以及固氮细菌。这些微生物分别为整个群落提供碳糖和氨氮等营养物质。然而，真菌物种在这些社区中的作用仍然未知。这项工作旨在通过确定这些真菌物种的作用来增加对沙漠微生物群落的了解，据信这些真菌物种的作用包括为整个群落提供黑色素，以增加紫外线和胁迫抗性。这一研究将有助于提供新的知识，使人们有可能利用这些微生物群落进行土壤金属去除，增加农业土壤养分，保持土壤水分在干旱，并防止非沙漠生态系统的荒漠化。生物土壤结皮（或土壤结皮）是微生物群落，形成生物膜的营养耗尽的沙漠土壤表面。据推测，居住在土壤结皮中的微生物进行短暂的相互作用，类似于地衣共生，以获得营养物质和生存的极端非生物胁迫。为了研究这一假设，从土壤结皮中分离的新微生物物种将用于：1）显示非地衣化的黑化真菌可以与细菌和藻类建立互利互惠的相互作用; 2）观察真菌黑色素如何影响土壤结皮中的微生物，以确定黑色素是否可以被认为是非生物抗性的"公共产品"并用作碳源;和3）鉴定在多物种培养期间产生的代谢物和基因调控差异，以确定这些微生物如何相互作用。该研究员有额外的目标，以提高代表性和经验，在本科研究1）招募本科研究人员从代表性不足的群体和2）开发一个每月基本的实验室技术研讨会，提供免费的实验室经验，所有本科生。该奖学金的额外资金将用于通过开发虚拟会议来增加与该领域研究人员的合作。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估而被认为值得支持。

Fellow's name: Erin CarrProposal number: 2209217Research title: Symbiosis as a Means of Survival for Biological Soil Crust MicrobesSponsoring scientist(s) and host institution(s): Steven Harris, Iowa State University; and Wayne Riekhof, University of Nebraska-LincolnThis action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2021, Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow that will contribute to the area of Rules of Life in innovative ways. This project aims at understanding how microbes growing in desert soils can use chemical interactions to obtain vital nutrients and withstand the extreme stress of desert ecosystems. Microorganisms living in desert soils include bacteria, algae, fungi, and lichens. Most research attention has focused on photosynthetic bacteria and algae, as well as nitrogen-fixing bacteria. These microbes provide a source of nutrients such as carbon sugar and ammonia nitrogen, respectively, to the entire community. However, the role of fungal species in these communities is still unknown. This work aims to increase understanding of desert microbial communities by determining the role of these fungal species, which is believed to include providing melanin for increased ultraviolet and stress resistance for the whole community. This research will help provide new knowledge that will make it possible to use these microbial communities to perform soil metal removal, increase agricultural soil nutrients, retain soil moisture in droughts, and prevent desertification of non-desert ecosystems.Biological soil crusts (or soil crusts) are microbial communities that form biofilms on the surface of nutrient-deplete desert soils. It is hypothesized that the microbes residing in the soil crust engage in transient interactions akin to that of a lichen symbiosis, to obtain nutrients and survive extreme abiotic stress. To investigate this hypothesis, novel microbial species isolated from a soil crust will be used to: 1) show that non-lichenized melanized fungi can establish mutualistic interactions with bacteria and algae; 2) observe how fungal melanin affects microbes from the soil crust, to determine if melanin can be considered a “public good” for abiotic resistances and used as a carbon source; and 3) identify metabolites produced and gene regulation differences during multi-species cultures to determine how these microbes interact. The fellow has additional goals to improve both representation and experience in undergraduate research by 1) recruiting undergraduate researchers from underrepresented groups and 2) developing a monthly basic lab techniques workshop to provide free lab experience to all undergraduates. Additional use of funds from this fellowship will be put towards increasing collaborations with fellow researchers in this field by developing a virtual conference.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.