MO: Collaborative Research: A Microbial Observatory Examining Microbial Abundance, Diversity, Associations and Activity At Seafloor Brine Seeps

盐水渗漏是由墨西哥湾是一个蒸发盆地时沉积的盐的溶解引起的，然后被埋在沉积物下。当盐沉积物与海水接触时，它们会溶解，形成比海水咸很多倍的卤水。盐的迁移在沉积柱中造成断层，并促使卤水流体和物质从深层地下渗入海底。这些重卤水从海底流出，形成水坑、水池和咸水湖。卤水渗漏发生在大陆边缘，但令人惊讶的是，人们对这些渗漏中微生物群落的多样性和活动知之甚少。盐水渗漏注入持续数十年至数百年的液体和气体排放，因此很可能不同的自由生活的微生物群落已经适应了这些栖息地。卤水渗漏栖息地可能类似于其他星球的卤水渗漏，如木卫二、泰坦或火星上可能发生的情况。佐治亚大学的Samantha Joye博士、德克萨斯A和M大学的Ian MacDonald博士以及北卡罗来纳大学的Andreas Teske博士以及来自德国和丹麦的同事将在实验室中表征墨西哥湾卤水渗漏中微生物的分布和活动，研究微生物群落与其特殊环境的相互作用，并评估这些微生物群落在盐水渗漏生境中的生物地球化学作用。他们将使用包括现场采样、长期监测和实验在内的三管齐下的方法来量化卤水渗漏中介导碳和硫转化的微生物的丰度、多样性和活性，确定环境对这些微生物活动和分布的控制，使用稳定的同位素生物标记物、DNA和RNA来追踪通过微生物食物网的碳和硫流动，以及从这些卤水渗漏中分离和表征新的微生物。该项目将包括一系列不同的外联活动。这项研究将包括本科生和研究生以及博士后科学家。美国、德国和丹麦的合作者之间的一项交流计划将允许美国研究生在德国不来梅或丹麦欧登塞生活和工作。一名初中或高中科学教师将通过与东南海洋科学教育卓越中心(COSEE)计划合作，参与研究巡航。科学教师将在PI的一个实验室工作，开发供初中和/或高中使用的课程材料。私人投资机构将对研究巡航进行互动网络广播，并将在项目第一年为科学界和公众提供项目网页。

Brine seeps are caused by the dissolution of salt that was deposited when the Gulf of Mexico was an evaporative basin and then became buried beneath sediments. When salt deposits come into contact with seawater, they dissolve, and form brines many times saltier than seawater. Salt migration creates faults in the sediment column and drives seepage of brine fluids and materials from the deep subsurface to the seafloor. These heavy brines flow out of the seafloor forming puddles, pools, and lakes of brine. Brine seeps occur along continental margins, but surprisingly little is known about the diversity and activity of the microbial communities in these seeps. Brine seeps are infused with persistent fluid and gas discharge over periods of decades to centuries, thus it is likely that distinct free-living microbial communities have adapted to these habitats. Brine seep habitats may be analogs for brine seeps on other worlds as might occur on Europa, Titan or Mars. The laboratories of Drs. Samantha Joye of the University of Georgia, Ian MacDonald of Texas A and M University and Andreas Teske of the University of North Carolina and colleagues from Germany and Denmark will be characterizing the distribution and activity of the microbes in Gulf of Mexico brine seeps, examining the interactions of the microbial communities with their unusual environment, and evaluating the biogeochemical role of these communities in the brine seep habitats. They will be using a three-pronged approach that includes in-situ sampling, long-term monitoring, and experimentation to quantify the abundance, diversity and activity of microorganisms mediating carbon and sulfur transformations in brine seeps, to identify the environmental controls on these microbial activities and distributions, to trace carbon and sulfur flow through the microbial food web using stable isotope biomarkers, DNA and RNA and to isolate and characterize novel microorganisms from these brine seeps. This project will include a diverse portfolio of outreach activities. The research will include undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scientists. An exchange program between US, German and Danish collaborators will permit US graduate students to live and work in Bremen, Germany or Odense, Denmark. A middle or high school science teacher will be participating in the research cruises through collaboration with the Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence-Southeast (COSEE) program. The science teacher will work in one of the PI's laboratories to develop course materials for use in middle and/or high schools. The PIs will have interactive web casts of the research cruises and a project web page will be available, by year one of the project, for the scientific community and for the general public.