ROW: Role of Anaerobic Cellulolytic Bacteria in Carbon Cycling

马萨诸塞大学阿默斯特分校的Susan Leschine博士提议对一组科学上的新微生物进行研究：纤维素降解、固氮和厌氧细菌。生态学界对它们的发现以及在碳循环中可能发挥的作用感到兴奋。这些研究结果将有助于我们了解厌氧纤维素分解微生物的表型和基因型多样性，它们对纤维素分解的定量贡献以及它们在自然环境中的数量分布。与非纤维素分解微生物的生理相互作用的可能作用也将被研究。这些研究旨在填补我们对自然环境中碳循环动力学理解的空白。此外，为开展这项研究而设计的技术对于识别不同环境中引入的（例如，基因工程的）和本地微生物通常是有用的。

Dr. Susan Leschine, of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, proposes a study of a group of microorgnaisms new to science: cellulose degrading, nitrogen fixing, and anaerobic bacteria. The ecology community is excited about their discovery and possible roles in carbon cycling. Results of these studies will contribute to our understanding of the phenotypic and genotypic diversity present among anaerobic cellulolytic microorganisms, their quantitative contribution to cellulose breakdown, and their numerical distribution in natural environments. The possible role of physiological interactions with non-cellulolytic microorganisms will also be investigated. These investigations are intended to fill a gap in our understanding of the dynamics of carbon cycling in natural environments. Moreover, the techniques devised to conduct this study will be generally useful for identifying introduced (e.g., genetically engineered) as well as indigenous microorganisms in diverse environments.