Organo-mineralization in microbial mats under extreme conditions: linking field, laboratory and metagenomics studies

这里提出的计划将使前所未有的，开创性的和跨学科的研究微生物垫中的微生物-矿物相互作用从宏观到分子水平。微生物垫是地球上最早的生物群落，有助于矿物的形成和有机物质的保存。这些垫内的代谢活动和胞外聚合物（EPS）上的成核过程诱导并影响矿物质形成（“有机矿化”）。以往对微生物与矿物质相互作用的观察并没有揭示微生物席中生物矿物质的形成机制。了解地球圈和生物圈之间的这种相互作用对环境研究至关重要。 我们将系统地研究微生物、病毒、EPS以及温度、二氧化碳、养分供应和盐度等环境条件对有机矿化的影响。我们的目标也是检测纳米材料（NM）如何通过微生物垫运输，以及它们与微生物和矿物质的相互作用。该研究计划的三个主要目标包括： 1.确定微生物、病毒和EPS在极端环境中微生物垫中碳酸盐形成中的作用。 2.阐明蓝藻和EPS形成碳酸盐的可能机制。 3.分析纳米材料在微生物垫中的沉积和运输。 结合实地观察，实验室实验和宏基因组研究将深入了解从分子水平到复杂环境系统的地质微生物学过程。由微生物或其EPS形成的矿物包含有关其环境的信息，为早期世界打开了一扇大门。由此产生的微生物-矿物相互作用的基础知识是重建地球上微生物生命历史的先决条件。预期成果还将促进碳固存和生物补救新技术的开发。该计划的成果将直接应用于帮助解决当前的问题和主题，例如全球变暖和二氧化碳增加。 研究新兴NM污染物对水生生态系统的影响，将为NM的风险评估提供必要的数据，为NM的合理生产和应用提供重要的科学依据。研究纳米材料和微生物垫的相互作用将有助于理解微生物在地球化学过程中的作用。该计划的结果将为其他一些领域提供坚实的联系，如医学，能源和电子。潜在应用的例子包括药物输送、太阳能、电池生产和半导体合成。

The program here proposed will enable unprecedented, ground breaking and cross-disciplinary research on microbe-mineral interactions in microbial mats from the macroscopic to molecular levels. Microbial mats, the earth’s earliest biological communities, contribute to the formation of minerals and the preservation of organic matter. Metabolic activity within these mats, and nucleation processes on extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), induce and influence mineral formation (“organo-mineralization”). Previous observations of the interactions between microbes and minerals have not revealed the mechanisms of forming biogenic minerals in microbial mats. Understanding such interactions between the geo- and biosphere is crucial in environmental research. We will systematically study the effects of microbes, viruses, EPS and such environmental conditions as temperature, carbon dioxide, nutrient supply, and salinity, on organo-mineralization. Our goal is also to detect how nano-materials (NM) are transported through the microbial mats, and their interactions with both microbes and minerals. The three main objectives for this program of research include: 1. Identify the role of microbes, viruses and EPS in carbonate formation in microbial mats from extreme environments. 2. Clarify the possible mechanisms of carbonate formation by cyanobacteria and EPS. 3. Analyze the deposition and transport of nano-materials in microbial mats. Combined field observations, laboratory experiments and metagenomic studies will give insight into geomicrobiological processes ranging from the molecular level to complex environmental systems. Minerals formed by microbes or their EPS contain information about their environment, opening a door to the early world. The resulting fundamental knowledge of microbe-mineral interactions is a prerequisite to reconstructing the history of microbial life on earth. The expected results will also foster the development of new technology for carbon sequestration and bio-remediation. The outcome of this program will be directly applied to help solve current problems and themes, such as how global warming and CO2 increase. Researching the impact of emerging NM pollutants on the aquatic system will provide essential data for the risk assessment of NM, and an important scientific basis for their proper manufacturing and application. Studying the interaction of NMs and microbial mats will build understanding of the microbial role in biogeochemical processes. The results of this program will provide a solid link to a number of other fields, such as medicine, energy and electronics. Examples of potential applications include drug delivery, solar energy, electrical battery production and semi-conductor synthesis.