RII Track-1: Linking Microbial Life to Ecosystem Services Across Wyoming's Dynamic Landscape

非技术性描述微生物在土壤和水生环境中普遍存在且数量丰富。一茶匙的土壤可能含有超过十亿个细菌，属于数千种不同的物种。这些生物在循环营养物质、分解有机物和决定人类活动释放的污染物的命运方面发挥着重要作用。该项目将从怀俄明州的数千个地点收集微生物样本，这些地点在当地气候，土地使用和植物生命方面各不相同。将对这些样本进行分析，以更好地了解微生物的环境作用及其对降水、土壤性质和土地利用变化的反应。物种组成和生态系统的生态关系将使用DNA，RNA和蛋白质测序来确定。统计方法将用于揭示微生物之间的关系以及整个生态系统的功能。研究结果将有助于预测不同地区将如何应对环境干扰，并为政策制定者提供更好地管理自然资源的工具。该项目还将培训工人如何处理此类研究产生的大量数据;这些技能将转移到怀俄明州经济的许多部门。该项目的总体目标是促进对土壤和淡水微生物组的基于过程的理解，在怀俄明州发展尖端的数据科学培训和研发能力，并在2015年10月至2017年12月期间在美国俄亥俄州的俄亥俄州开展研究和开发活动。并将怀俄明州大学定位为微生物生态学和数据科学的国家领导者。为了确定决定微生物分布的因果因素，将收集和处理超过19000个土壤、水和植物相关微生物样本，利用全州存在的环境梯度。样本将使用各种？omic？（基因组学、转录组学、蛋白质组学、代谢组学）和生物地球化学技术，包括酶测定和稳定同位素探测。微生物生命和生态后果之间的关系将通过统计和实验手段进行建模和测试。对设备基础设施的投资、对不同学生和博士后的跨学科培训以及新教师的聘用将提高怀俄明州的研究能力。对数据科学培训的关注将满足怀俄明州的技术劳动力需求，并有利于该州经济。

Non-technical DescriptionMicrobial organisms are ubiquitous and abundant in soil and aquatic environments. One teaspoon of soil may contain over a billion bacteria, belonging to thousands of distinct species. These organisms play essential roles in cycling nutrients, decomposing organic matter, and determining the fate of pollutants released by human activities. This project will collect samples of microbes from thousands of sites across Wyoming that differ in their local climate, land use, and plant life. The samples will be analyzed to better understand the environmental roles of the microbes and their responses to changes in precipitation, soil properties, and land use. Species composition and ecological relationships to the ecosystem will be determined using DNA, RNA, and protein sequencing. Statistical methods will be used to uncover the relationships between microbes and how the overall ecosystems function. The results will help predict how different regions will respond to environmental disturbances and provide policy makers tools to better manage natural resources. The project will also train workers in how to handle the huge volumes of data generated by such research; these skills will be transferrable to many sectors of the Wyoming economy. Outreach efforts to Native American, Latino, and hearing-impaired students will promote diversification of the workforce trained in STEM fields.Technical Description The overarching aims of this project are to advance process-based understanding of soil and freshwater microbiomes, to develop cutting-edge data-science training and research and development capacity in Wyoming, and to position the University of Wyoming as a national leader in microbial ecology and data science. To define the causal factors that determine microbial distributions, over nineteen thousand samples of soil-, water-, and plant-associated microbes will be collected and processed, taking advantage of environmental gradients that exist across the state. Samples will be studied using a variety of ?omic? (genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic) and biogeochemical technologies, including enzymatic assays and stable isotope probing. Relationships between microbial life and ecological consequences will be modeled and tested by statistical and experimental means. Investments in equipment infrastructure, inter-disciplinary training for diverse students and postdocs, and new faculty hires will enhance the research capacity of Wyoming. The focus on data science training will serve the technology workforce needs of Wyoming and benefit the state economy.