Polar Microbial Ecology and Biodiversity

我的研究计划研究微生物的生物多样性和生态学在极地生态系统中使用经典的微生物学和新的基于基因组学的分子技术研究微生物群落。这些栖息地包括独特的冷盐水泉，永久冻土和地面冰，以及最近新的石膏隐岩。这些调查探讨了生物多样性，生态，适应和微生物群落在低温环境（零度以下的栖息地）中的活动，在一个新兴的领域，最好的描述为cryomicrobiology。最近的证据表明，在永久寒冷的环境中，超低温（-5至-15 ° C）下的微生物活动和细菌生长表明这些栖息地拥有活跃的微生物生态系统。这一领域目前知之甚少，但至关重要的是，确定这些社区是否在零度以下的温度在原地活跃，并确定这种活动对全球生物地球化学循环的影响。例如，永久冻土约占陆地土壤生态系统的20%，但其生物学，主要是微生物学，仍然未被探索。拟议中的研究将有助于阐明全球变暖对变暖永久冻土中微生物生态系统的影响，以及全球变暖是否会导致这个高北极地区绿色房屋气体排放增加。拟议的研究将为北极微生物生物多样性和生态学提供新的见解，特别是与低温微生物学有关的研究。它将确定和表征新的微生物和微生物类型，其中一些将具有潜在的生物技术应用。我们将研究的极地地点，特别是阿克塞尔海伯格岛上独特的冷盐水泉，被认为是重要的火星类似物地点，特别是在理解非常冷的含盐液态水栖息地中的生命以及甲烷如何在永久冻土环境中形成方面，类似于最近在火星上的发现。该提案的资金将支持北方研究培训4名研究生和极地微生物学，环境基因组学，生物信息学，天体生物学和北极气候变化方面的PDF /年，并为保持加拿大北方研究所需的新一代HQP提供培训。

My research program examines microbial biodiversity and ecology in polar ecosystems using both classical microbiology and novel genomics-based molecular techniques for studying microbial communities. These habitats include unique cold saline springs, permafrost and ground ice, and more recently novel gypsum cryptoendoliths. These investigations explore the biodiversity, ecology, adaptations, and activity of microbial communities in cryoenvironments (subzero habitats) in an emerging field best described as cryomicrobiology. Recent evidence of microbial activity and bacterial growth at ultra-low temperatures (-5 to -15°C) in permanently cold environments suggest that these habitats harbor active microbial ecosystems. This area is presently very poorly understood but crucial for determining if such communities are active in situ at subzero temperatures and determining the impact of such activity on global biogeochemical cycling. For example, permafrost represents ~20% of terrestrial soil ecosystems yet its biology, essentially microbiology, remains unexplored. The proposed research will help elucidate the effects of global warming on microbial ecosystems in warming permafrost and whether global warming will cause increased green house gas emissions from this high Arctic site. The proposed research will provide new insights into Arctic microbial biodiversity and ecology, especially related to cryomicrobiology. It will identify and characterize novel microorganisms and phylotypes, some of which will have potential biotechnology applications. The polar sites that we will study, especially the unique cold saline springs on Axel Heiberg Island, are considered significant Mars analogues sites especially in terms of understanding life in very cold salty liquid water habitats as well as how methane can form in permafrost environments analogous to recent discoveries on Mars. Funding for this proposal will support northern research training of 4 graduate students and a PDF / year in polar microbiology, environmental genomics, bioinformatics, astrobiology, and Arctic climate change as well as provide training of a new generation of HQP required to maintain northern research in Canada.