RUI:Microbial Observatories: Cabo Rojo Salterns Microbial Observatory

该项目将继续在波多黎各的卡博罗霍萨尔特斯微生物观测站进行地质微生物学研究。 该项目将为学生，特别是本科生提供重要的研究培训经验。 这个多机构团队包括波多黎各大学乌马考分校和UPR马亚圭斯分校生物系以及康涅狄格大学的研究人员。他们将开展多学科研究工作，研究卡博罗霍盐湖中微生物的地质作用。 两种不同的微生物垫系统在盐矿将被用来比较微生物代谢如何改变沉积物的地球化学特征，并最终确定微尺度矿物学。 还将研究这些不同微生物群落产生生物气的情况。 由于盐藻的特点是极端的季节性变化，它们的代谢和群落组成不断改变，导致基因和蛋白质表达的差异模式。 掌握控制碳酸钙等关键矿物沉淀和溶解的分子方面的知识，对沉积物的形成、海洋珊瑚礁的建造和石碑的退化具有重要意义。 通过鉴定对这些过程的调控至关重要的基因和蛋白质，有可能在分子水平上控制甚至操纵它们。 除了科学贡献，该项目最有价值的产品是一代波多黎各学生接受了最先进的技术培训。 学生将受益于一系列研讨会和会议、与康涅狄格大学学生的夏季交流计划以及为K-12学生提供有关地球微生物学领域信息的先驱计划。 学生们还将建造一个气象站，公众可以通过互联网监测天文台的情况。

This project will continue geomicrobiology studies in the Cabo Rojo Salterns Microbial Observatory in Puerto Rico. The project will provide significant research training experience for students, especially undergraduates. The multi-institutional team includes researchers in the Biology Departments at the University of Puerto Rico-Humacao and UPR-Mayaguez, and the University of Connecticut. They will undertake a multidisciplinary research effort to study the geological contributions of microorganisms in the Cabo Rojo salterns. Two different microbial mat systems in the salterns will be used to compare how microbial metabolism alters the geochemical characteristics of sediments and ultimately defines the microscale mineralogy. The production of biogenic gases by these different microbial communities will also be studied. As the salterns are characterized by extreme seasonal changes, their metabolic and community composition is continuously altered leading to differential patterns of gene and protein expression. Knowledge of the molecular aspects that control the precipitation and dissolution of key minerals such as calcium carbonate has important implications with respect to sediment formation, construction of oceanic reefs and deterioration of stone monuments. By the identification of genes and proteins crucial for the regulation of these processes, it may be possible to control and possibly even manipulate them at the molecular level. Besides the scientific contributions, the most valuable products of this project are a generation of Puerto Rican students trained with state-of-the-art techniques. Students will benefit with a series of workshops and conferences, a summer exchange program with students at the University of Connecticut, and a pioneer program providing information about the field of geomicrobiology to K-12 students. Students will also construct a weather station that will be publicly accessible to monitor the conditions atthe observatory via the internet.