Microbial Observatory: Metabolic Activity of Microorganisms in Alaskan Tundra and Permafrost

授予尼古拉·S·帕尼科夫博士(新泽西州史蒂文斯理工学院)和弗拉基米尔·罗曼诺夫斯基(阿拉斯加大学费尔班克斯分校)在阿拉斯加冻土带建立微生物观测站项目的赠款。长期的挑战是识别、表征和监测在时间和空间上活跃在冻土中的嗜冷(超低温)微生物，这些微生物可能是最近在北极发现的大量冬季二氧化碳排放的罪魁祸首。这个为期两年的“概念验证”项目的特别目标是提出令人信服的证据，证明这种微生物存在，并可以通过分离和培养无关的分子技术相结合的方式进行研究。嗜冷微生物的生长和活性将通过实验室培养研究中细胞和细胞成分(DNA、磷脂)中碳的原位掺入速率来评估。对各种底物、温度(从0℃到-40℃)和其他生长条件的测试将使研究人员能够开发一种优化的微生物浓缩方案，并分离出生长在冻土中的微生物的13C同位素丰富的DNA。阿拉斯加冻土带被发现是最近全球气候变化的一个重要触发因素：气候变暖导致永冻土退化，并刺激微生物分解，将冻土带从“汇”转变为净碳源。对观测到的气候和大气变化的了解、预测和缓解在很大程度上取决于对永久冻土微生物学的了解。这项研究的更广泛影响包括更可靠的气候预测，对其他行星上在超低温下生命的洞察，以及开发出在低于冰点温度下发挥作用的高效生物催化剂。为便利传播有关这一激动人心的努力的信息，将为该项目建立一个网站。

A grant has been awarded to Drs. Nicolai S. Panikov (Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ) and Vladimir Romanovsky (University of Alaska Fairbanks) to establish a Microbial Observatory project in the Alaskan tundra. The long-term challenge is to identify, characterize and monitor over time and space the psychrophilic (ultracold-loving) microorganisms active in frozen ground likely to be responsible for recently discovered sizeable winter CO2 emissions in the Arctic. The particular goal of this 2-year 'proof-of-concept' project is to present convincing evidence that such microorganisms exist and can be studied by a combination of isolation and culture-independent molecular techniques. Growth and activity of psychrophilic microorganisms will be assessed from the in situ rates of carbon incorporation into cells and cellular constituents (DNA, phospholipids) in laboratory incubation studies. Testing of various substrates, temperatures (from 0 to -40 oC) and other growth conditions will allow the investigators to develop an optimized protocol for microbial enrichment, and to isolate 13C isotope-enriched DNA of microorganisms growing in frozen soil.Alaskan tundra was found to be an important trigger in recent global climatic changes: warming caused degradation of permafrost and stimulated microbial decomposition, converting the tundra from a 'sink' to a net source of carbon. The understanding, prediction and mitigation of the observed climate and atmospheric changes critically depend on knowledge of permafrost microbiology. Broader impacts of the research include more reliable climate predictions, insights into life on other planets under ultracold temperatures and development of highly efficient biocatalysts functioning at below freezing temperatures. To facilitate dissemination of information about this exciting effort, a web site will be established for the project.