Collaborative Research: ANT LIA Integrating Genomic and Phenotypic Analyses to understand Microbial Life in Antarctic Soils

并不是整个南极洲都被冰覆盖。事实上，土壤在南极洲的许多地方都是常见的，这些土壤往往与地球上发现的任何其他土壤都不同。南极土壤蕴藏着独特的微生物，能够应对南极大部分地区常见的极端寒冷和干燥的条件。几十年来，微生物学家一直被南极洲独特的土壤所吸引，但关键的知识缺口仍然存在。最值得注意的是，目前还不清楚是什么特性允许某些微生物在南极土壤中茁壮成长。通过使用一系列方法，该项目正在开发全面的模型，以发现土壤多样性、分布和适应的独特基因组特征，使南极土壤微生物能够在极端环境中茁壮成长。这项拟议的工作将与许多领域的研究人员相关，包括寻求开发新生物技术的工程师、研究这些微生物群落对南极生态系统功能的贡献的生态学家、研究新的微生物对极端环境条件适应的微生物学家，甚至研究火星上生命潜力的天体生物学家。更广泛地说，这项拟议的研究为我们提供了一个机会，来推进我们目前对地球上最独特的微生物栖息地之一的微生物生命的理解，许多科学家无法进入这个栖息地，而且这个栖息地越来越受到气候变化的威胁。该研究项目探索了南极土壤中的微生物多样性，并将特定特征与不同的土壤类型和环境条件联系起来。首要问题包括：在南极的各种环境中发现了哪些微生物类群？特定类群或谱系的环境偏好是什么？微生物的基因组和表型特征是什么使它们能够在极端环境中生存并决定生物地理差异？该项目将分析由国际合作者网络从南极洲各地收集的存档土壤，样本选择跨越土壤和场地条件的广泛梯度。该项目使用独立于培养的、高通量的基因组分析方法和依赖于培养的方法来分析土壤样本中的细菌和真菌群落。这些结果将被用来预测特定分类群和谱系的分布，获得更普遍和丰富的分类群的基因组信息，并在体外量化温度、水分和盐度梯度的生长反应。这种生态、环境、基因组和基于特征的信息的集成将提供对南极土壤中微生物生命的全面了解。该项目还将有助于促进全球科学家之间的新合作，同时为本科生提供向下一代科学家介绍南极生物领域的实践研究经验。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。

Not all of Antarctica is covered in ice. In fact, soils are common to many parts of Antarctica, and these soils are often unlike any others found on Earth. Antarctic soils harbor unique microorganisms able to cope with the extremely cold and dry conditions common to much of the continent. For decades, microbiologists have been drawn to the unique soils in Antarctica, yet critical knowledge gaps remain. Most notably, it is unclear what properties allow certain microbes to thrive in Antarctic soils. By using a range of methods, this project is developing comprehensive model that discovers the unique genomic features of soils diversity, distributions, and adaptations that allow Antarctic soil microbes to thrive in extreme environments. The proposed work will be relevant to researchers in many fields, including engineers seeking to develop new biotechnologies, ecologists studying the contributions of these microbial communities to the functioning of Antarctic ecosystems, microbiologists studying novel microbial adaptations to extreme environmental conditions, and even astrobiologists studying the potential for life on Mars. More generally, the proposed research presents an opportunity to advance our current understanding of the microbial life found in one of the more distinctive microbial habitats on Earth, a habitat that is inaccessible to many scientists and a habitat that is increasingly under threat from climate change.The research project explores the microbial diversity in Antarctic soils and links specific features to different soil types and environmental conditions. The overarching questions include: What microbial taxa are found in a variety of Antarctic environments? What are the environmental preferences of specific taxa or lineages? What are the genomic and phenotypic traits of microorganisms that allow them to persist in extreme environments and determine biogeographical differneces? This project will analyze archived soils collected from across Antarctica by a network of international collaborators, with samples selected to span broad gradients in soil and site conditions. The project uses cultivation-independent, high-throughput genomic analysis methods and cultivation-dependent approaches to analyze bacterial and fungal communities in soil samples. The results will be used to predict the distributions of specific taxa and lineages, obtain genomic information for the more ubiquitous and abundant taxa, and quantify growth responses in vitro across gradients in temperature, moisture, and salinity. This integration of ecological, environmental, genomic, and trait-based information will provide a comprehensive understanding of microbial life in Antarctic soils. This project will also help facilitate new collaborations between scientists across the globe while providing undergraduate students with 'hands-on' research experiences that introduce the next generation of scientists to the field of Antarctic 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.