Dimensions: Collaborative Research: The Cyanobacterial Bloom Microbial Interactome as a Model for Understanding Patterns in Functional Biodiversity

近年来，有毒蓝藻的有害暴发在世界各地的水体中达到了新的水平。这些蓝藻水华正在威胁淡水湖。这些毒素对人类、宠物、牲畜和野生动物构成严重的健康风险。这个项目不像以前的研究那样严格地关注营养物质和气候，而是探索与蓝藻共存的复杂细菌群落。该项目将检验这样一个假设，即蓝藻是通过与其他细菌物种的混合物建立互惠关系来支持的。该项目将在如何通过比较世界各地在蓝藻生命周期的重要时期的不同蓝藻来缓解蓝藻水华方面取得新的发现。该项目将加深对蓝藻与相关物种之间相互作用的了解。该项目涉及四所美国机构的研究人员，其中一所机构专注于本科教育。将培训至少5名博士生和20名本科生。该项目将专门招募代表不足的少数民族进入STEM领域，以帮助准备一支多样化的科学工作队伍。该项目将研究驱动最常见的环境问题之一的基本相互作用：淡水有毒蓝藻水华。中心假设是，这些水华构成了蓝藻物种和相关细菌的复杂相互作用。这些细菌群体共同进化形成了一个协同物种的群落，每个物种都具有独特的代谢能力，这些能力对水华的生长、维持和死亡至关重要。将使用三种方法：(1)对蓝藻水华的各个阶段进行全球调查，(2)有针对性的一系列元基因组调查，以及(3)在中国和北美的实验室和现场进行实验工作。该项目还将探索营养投入、营养比例和各种形式的氮的作用。新的分析将调查这些蓝藻群落的分类身份和功能结果。该项目的结果将改进对水华威胁人类活动的毒性的预测。这项研究旨在通过使用基于群落生态学和进化生物学的现实方法来缓解有害的蓝藻水华。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In recent years, harmful outbreaks of toxic cyanobacteria have reached new levels in water bodies all over the world. These cyanobacterial blooms are threatening freshwater lakes. The toxins pose substantial health risks to humans, pets, livestock, and wildlife. Rather than focusing strictly on nutrients and climate like previous research, this project explores the complex bacterial communities that co-occur with cyanobacteria. The project will test the hypothesis that cyanobacteria are supported through a mutually beneficial relationship with a mixture of other bacteria species. This project will make new discoveries about how to mitigate cyanobacterial blooms by comparing different ones across the world during important periods in their life cycles. This project will develop an enhanced understanding of the interactions between cyanobacteria and associated species. This project involves researchers at four U.S. institutions, one of which focuses on undergraduate education. There will be training of at least five Ph.D. and 20 undergraduate students. The project will specifically recruit under-represented minorities into STEM fields to help prepare a diverse scientific workforce.This project will study the fundamental interactions driving one of the most common environmental problems: freshwater toxic cyanobacterial blooms. The central hypothesis is that these blooms constitute complex interactions of cyanobacterial species and associated bacteria. These groups of bacteria co-evolved to form a community of synergistic species, each with unique metabolic capabilities that are critical to the growth, maintenance, and demise of the bloom. Three approaches will be used: (1) a global survey of cyanobacterial blooms throughout the phases of the bloom, (2) a targeted series of metagenomic surveys, and (3) experimental work in the lab and field at sites in China and North America. This project will also explore the roles of nutrient inputs, nutrient ratios, and various forms of nitrogen. New analyses will investigate the taxonomic identities and functional outcomes of these cyanobacterial communities. The results of this project will lead to improved predictions about the toxicity of blooms threatening human activities. This research aims to mitigate harmful cyanobacterial blooms by using a realistic approach based on community ecology and evolutionary biology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.