A Microbial Observatory for the Northern Temperate Lakes Long Term Ecological Research Site

湖泊是生物地球化学处理它们所排泄的景观的焦点。淡水生态系统中大多数生物地球化学转化是由细菌介导的。因此，湖泊为研究与生态系统过程相关的微生物组成和多样性提供了巨大的机会。这个微生物观测站将描述微生物动力学及其与微生物生产和呼吸的基本过程的关系，在三个不同的湖泊中，它们代表了温带景观的主要营养类型：贫营养、营养不良和富营养。这些湖泊是北温带湖泊长期生态研究基地（NTL-LTER）的一部分。该项目的总体目标是确定和表征北温带湖泊生态系统中的优势细菌种群及其在生态过程中的作用。细菌种群动态是目前所有浮游微生物中了解最少的。浮游植物和原生动物也将被描述，因为它们在微生物食物网中的重要作用，而原生动物是综合分类信息系统（ITIS）的优先类群。确定淡水微生物群落结构和功能的时空变异。驱动这种变化的资源和食物网因素也将被研究。在不同的淡水生态系统中识别出优势的微生物类群，并从生物化学、生理学和生态学方面对这些类群进行表征。传统的微生物学和湖沼学技术将与基于分子的方法相结合，并将采用比较和实验方法。NTL-LTER目前未监测的测量参数包括总细菌丰度、活性细胞计数和生产力、总群落和微生物呼吸以及微生物群落组成和多样性。该研究将为研究微生物群落组成和多样性对湖泊基本生态系统过程的影响以及湖泊性质对微生物动态的影响方式提供重要的新见解。期待经典微生物学、分子微生物生态学、湖沼学和生态学理论之间强有力的新联系。

Triplett9977903Lakes are foci for biogeochemical processing on the landscapes they drain. Most biogeochemical transformations in freshwater ecosystems are mediated by bacteria. Thus, lakes offer tremendous opportunity for study of microbial composition and diversity linked to ecosystem processes. This Microbial Observatory will describe microbial dynamics and their relationship to the fundamental processes of microbial production and respiration in three contrasting lakes that represent the major trophic types of temperate landscapes: oligotrophic, dystrophic and eutrophic. These lakes are part of the North Temperate Lakes Long Term Ecological Research Site (NTL-LTER). The overall goal of this project is to identify and characterize predominant bacterial populations in north temperate lake ecosystems and their part in ecological processes. Bacterial population dynamics are currently the least well understood among all planktonic microbes. Phytoplankton and protozoa will also be described because of their important roles in the microbial foodweb, and protozoa are a priority group for the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). The spatial and temporal variability in freshwater microbial community structure and function will be determined. The resource and food web factors that drive this variability will also be studied. Predominant microbial taxa within contrasting freshwater ecosystems will be identified, and characterization of these taxa in terms of their biochemistry, physiology and ecology will be done. Traditional microbiological and limnological techniques with will be combined with molecular-based methodologies, and both comparative and experimental approaches will be employed. Parameters being measured that are not currently monitored by the NTL-LTER include total bacterial abundance, active cell count and productivity, total community and microbial respiration, and microbial community composition and diversity. This research should provide significant new insights into the influence of microbial community composition and diversity on fundamental lake ecosystem processes and the ways that lake properties affect microbial dynamics. Strong new connections between the fields of classical microbiology, molecular microbial ecology, limnology, and ecological theory are expected.