LExEn: Biological and Chemical Energetics of Deep Sea Subsurface -- Evolutionary and Exobiological Implications

这是一个合作研究项目与博士罗伯特M。北卡罗来纳州州立大学的Kelly（批准号9816492）和John A. Baross在华盛顿大学（批准号9816491）。该项目的总体目标是研究深海地下环境中释放的微生物种群。该项目有四个组成部分：1）描述海底环境中存在的生物多样性，并确定组成微生物生理学的性质; 2）确定地下的化学生物能学，特别是地下环境中普遍存在的与微生物相关的碳、氮、硫和磷物种; 3）确定模式异养超嗜热菌和那些新分离自地下的超嗜热菌的细胞内生物能量学，包括它们的初级能量货币和电子载体，以及它们的有机和无机“签名”;和4）表征已知的和新分离的来自地下环境的超嗜热菌的胞外生物能量学。 这包括电子供体和受体，无机营养素，以及细菌产生胞外聚合物，栖息生物膜和作为聚生体存在的能力。这一项目的成果应成为描述地球外生态系统及其潜在生命形式的范例。

AdamsThis is a collaborative research project with Drs. Robert M. Kelly at North Carolina State University (Grant Number 9816492) and John A. Baross at the University of Washington (Grant Number 9816491). The overall objective of this project is to study the microbial populations released from within deep sea subsurface environments. This project has four components: 1) to characterize the biodiversity that exists in subseafloor environments and determine the nature of constituent microbial physiologies; 2) to determine the chemical bioenergetics of the subsurface, specifically the carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorous species of microbial relevance that are prevalent in subsurface environments; 3) to determine the intracellular bioenergetics of model heterotrophic hyperthermophiles and those newly-isolated from the subsurface, including their primary energy currency and electron carriers, and their organic and inorganic "signatures"; and 4) to characterize known and newly-isolated hyperthermophiles from subsurface environments as to their extracellular bioenergetics. This includes electron donors and acceptors, inorganic nutrients, and the capacity of the bacteria to produce exocellular polymers, to inhabit biofilms, and to exist as consortia. The results of this project should serve as a paradigm for the characterization of extraterrestrial ecosystems and potential life forms therein.