Interdisciplinary Grants in the Mathematical Sciences: Modeling Microbial Populations, Biofilms and Competition Dynamics in a General Gradostat

本基金资助一项应用数学与水生生态学的跨学科研究项目。具体来说，首席研究员将花一学年的时间访问德克萨斯大学阿灵顿分校的生物系，以大大拓宽他在水生生态学方面的背景，并扩展他在种群动态、微生物竞争和异质介质中运输过程的数学建模方面的技能和知识。本项目的主要研究工作是将实验结果与现有资源竞争理论模型的预测结果进行比较，并开发和实施新的、重要的数学和计算方法，以准确模拟一般生长菌中细菌-藻类-营养物质的相互作用。项目负责人的目标是：(1)参与并协助建立正在进行的微生物在资源供应空间梯度上竞争的实验模型；(2)提高对水生微生物生态学的认识和进一步开展该领域研究所需的技能；(3)为首席研究员所在院系以及德克萨斯大学阿灵顿分校生物系的新研究生和本科课程编写课程指南和补充材料。这个跨学科项目将成为两个部门持续合作的基础，旨在开发一个结合实验和理论的研究项目，研究异质系统中微生物的相互作用，并将其应用于水生生态和环境工程问题。该IGMS项目由MPS多学科活动办公室（OMA）和数学科学司（DMS）联合支持。

This grant supports an interdisciplinary research project in applied mathematics and aquatic ecology. Specifically, the principal investigator will spend an academic year visiting the Department of Biology atthe University of Texas-Arlington to substantially broaden his background in aquatic ecology and expand his skills and knowledge in mathematical modeling of population dynamics, microbial competition, and transportprocesses in heterogeneous media. The main research effort in this project is to compare experimental gradostat results to those predicted by existing theoretical models of resource competition, and to develop and implement new, important mathematical and computational methods for accurate modeling of the bacteria-algae-nutrients interactions in a general gradostat.The goals of the principal investigator in the proposed research projectare:(1) to participate in and assist with the modeling of ongoing experiments on microbial competition along spatial gradients of resource supply;(2) to develop a better understanding of aquatic microbial ecology and the skills necessary for continued research in this area; and (3) to create curriculum guides and supplemental materials for new graduate and undergraduate courses in the principal investigator's home department as well as in the Department of Biology at the University ofTexas-Arlington.This interdisciplinary project will be the foundation for a continuing collaboration between the two departments aimed at developing a combined experimental and theoretical research program addressing microbial interactions in heterogeneous systems for application to problems in aquatic ecology and environmental engineering. This IGMS project is jointly supported by the MPS Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (OMA) and the Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS).