A Microbial Inventory of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Thermal Features

博士们已获得一笔赠款。Cristina Takacs-Vesbach（新墨西哥大学）和Anna-Louise Reysenbach（波特兰州立大学）共同研究了与大黄石生态系统（GYE：怀俄明州、蒙大拿州和爱达荷州）主要地热特征相关的微生物多样性和地球化学。GYE包括世界上最大和最多样化的地热盆地，然而多样性评估仅限于少数这些温泉。100个热位点的系统发育和生理多样性将使用分子遗传学技术来确定，该技术可以识别作为微生物物种和代谢过程分子特征的基因DNA序列。这些数据，连同地球化学测量数据，将被汇编成一个互联网可访问的数据库，并将用于开发DNA微阵列，这是一种使研究人员和管理人员能够快速评估其他热点多样性的工具。研究团体将通过新墨西哥大学博物馆获得这项研究分离的DNA。调查人员将与国家公园管理局的工作人员合作，为公众开发现场教育展示，并通过实地课程和研讨会培训学生、管理人员和国家公园管理局的微生物生态学解说护林员。由于GYE的热微生物群代表了大量未开发的遗传潜力，开发与环境数据库相关联的清单提供了一种获取这种多样性的手段，并将有助于识别具有潜在技术和工业重要性的生物。此外，尽管热站点位于黄石国家公园内，因此受到保护，但地质（地震）、气候（低含水层补给）和拟人化（密集采样或区域采矿）的扰动有可能改变这些生态系统。在对这些资源进行清点之前，一些新生物体将仅仅因为不知道它们的存在而受到不完全的保护；该项目将提供对监测和管理微生物资源至关重要的全球生态环境微生物多样性基线。

A grant has been awarded to Drs. Cristina Takacs-Vesbach (University of New Mexico) and Anna-Louise Reysenbach (Portland State University) to inventory the microbial diversity and geochemistry associated with the major geothermal features of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE: Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho). The GYE comprises the largest and most varied geothermal basin in the world, yet diversity assessments have been limited to only a handful of these thermal springs. The phylogenetic and physiological diversity of 100 thermal sites will be determined using molecular genetic techniques that identify DNA sequences of genes that are molecular signatures for microbial species and metabolic processes. These data, along with geochemical measurements, will be compiled into an Internet accessible database and will be used to develop DNA microarrays, a tool that will enable researchers and managers to rapidly assess the diversity of other thermal sites. The research community will have access to the DNA isolated by this study through the University of New Mexico Museum. The investigators will work with National Park Service personnel to develop on-site educational displays for the general public, in addition to training students, managers, and National Park Service interpretive rangers in microbial ecology through a field course and workshop. As the thermal microbiota of the GYE represents a wealth of untapped genetic potential, developing an inventory linked to an environmental database offers a means of accessing this diversity and will aid in the identification of organisms of potential technological and industrial importance. Furthermore, although the thermal sites occur within Yellowstone National Park and are thus protected, geological (earthquakes), climatological (low aquifer recharge), and anthropomorphic (intensive sampling or regional mining) perturbations have the potential to alter these ecosystems. Until an inventory of these resources is taken, some novel organisms will have incomplete protection simply because their existence is not known; the project will provide a baseline of microbial diversity in the GYE essential to monitoring and managing microbial resources.