EPStromNet - Extant Peritidal Stromatolite Network

叠层石是最早的大规模生命形式，在化石记录中发现于前寒武纪和显生宙时代(35亿年前)，至今仍在形成。叠层石的特征是其层状碳酸钙结构，通过微生物(细菌，特别是蓝藻、古生菌和尤卡里亚，特别是硅藻)活动和地球化学过程的紧密耦合而产生，从而形成持久的地质结构。在过去的二十年里，在南非、澳大利亚和英国的海滩上发现了一种新型的叠层石--潮间(上岸)叠层石。EPStromNet将与来自三大洲的领先国际研究人员展开新的合作，解决支撑这些新发现的微生物地质系统基本性质的关键科学问题。组建的团队结合了资深和早期职业科学家，互补的专业知识，以及在提供领先的国际科学方面的出色记录。EPStromNet将汇集微生物和宏观生态学、地球化学、同位素化学和沿海地貌学方面的专业知识，形成新的合作伙伴关系。将使用尖端的下一代测序和生态信息学工具来确定大陆内部和大陆之间叠层石群落多样性和组成方面的相似和不同之处。这些相似之处和不同之处将与实地地质测绘和建模方法相一致，以确定现在和过去(不同海平面状态)叠层石的相关地质条件。叠层石可以被认为是小岛，因此使我们能够解决岛屿生物地理学的问题，例如环境选择和扩散限制在多大程度上影响生活在叠层石中或其上的群落的多样性和组成。这一网络提供了一个独特的机会，可以在几米到数千公里的范围内探索这类宏观生态问题。此外，我们分析的深度和分类广度将使我们能够问这些驱动因素在分类群之间的差异有多大。我们还将测量结合生物地貌结构和陷阱颗粒的微生物多糖胶的特性，以及它与叠层石形成的关键元素碳酸盐结构的关系。元基因组学(对群落中基因的分析)和活性实验将首次深入了解新陈代谢过程，以及它们可能如何导致二氧化碳捕获和碳酸钙结构的形成。这将建立假说，形成未来合作的基础。因此，这项研究包括对一系列叠层石系统的地球生物动力学和驱动因素(基因到地质圈)的新的世界首次调查，只是现在才可行，因为在三个地点中的每一个都发现了这些生态系统。以前没有对这些叠层石进行过全球一级的直接评估，也没有对一般可比的叠层石进行过评估。成果将包括对创建这些地球生物系统的过程的新见解，解决全球空间尺度上不同类群的种群水平相似性问题，并产生解释早期生命和其他星球生命所需条件的新想法。周缘叠层石在全球任何地方都没有受到直接保护，但作为一种稀有的栖息地，必须记录群落(包括新的分类群)，了解它们是如何形成的，并确定它们对环境变化的敏感性，以便能够适当地保护它们。EPStromNet将建立这一新的研究伙伴关系，这种伙伴关系将通过支持早期职业研究人员、开发研究生机会和确定新的研究方案和资助机会的计划持续到未来。

Stromatolites are the earliest macroscale lifeforms which are found in the fossil record during the Precambrian and Phanerozoic eras (3.5 billion years ago) and still form today. The characteristic feature of stromatolites is their laminated calcium carbonate structure produced through a close coupling between microbial (Bacteria particularly cyanobacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya, particularly diatoms) activity and geochemical processes, to create a persistent geological structure. Within the last two decades a new type of stromatolite, peritidal (upper shore) stromatolites, was discovered in beach locations in South Africa, Australia and the U.K. EPStromNet will develop a new collaboration of leading international researchers from three continents, that will address key scientific questions underpinning the fundamental nature of these newly identified microbial-geological systems. The assembled team combines senior and early career scientists, complementary expertise, and an excellent track record in delivering leading international science. EPStromNet will pool expertise in microbial and macro-ecology, geochemistry, isotope chemistry and coastal geomorphology, into a new partnership. Cutting-edge next-generation sequencing and eco-informatics tools will be used to identify similarities and differences in the diversity and composition of stromatolite communities within and between continents. These similarities and differences will be aligned with field-based geological mapping and modelling approaches, to determine the associated geological conditions of present and past (during different sea-level states) stromatolites. Stromatolites can be perceived as mini islands, and so allow us to address questions of island biogeography such as the extent to which environmental selection and dispersal limitation influence the diversity and composition of communities living in or on them. This network provides a unique opportunity to explore such macroecological questions at the scale of metres to thousands of kilometres. Furthermore, the depth and taxonomic breadth of our analysis will allow us to ask to what extent these drivers differ between taxa. We will also measure the characteristics of the microbial polysaccharide "glue" that binds the biogeostructures and traps particles, and its association with carbonate structures, key elements in the formation of stromatolites. Metagenomics (analysis on genes in the community)and activity experiments will give a first insight into metabolic processes and how they may lead to CO2 capture and the formation of calcium carbonate structures. This will establish hypotheses that will form the basis of future collaborations. This research therefore comprises a novel world-first investigation into the geobiological dynamics and drivers (genes-to-geosphere) of a range of stromatolite systems, only now feasible because of the discovery of these ecosystems in each of the three locations. No previous direct global-level assessment has been conducted on these stromatolites, nor of any comparable stromatolites in general. Outcomes will include new insights into the processes that create these geobiological systems, address questions of population-level similarity across diverse taxa across global spatial scales, and generate new ideas for interpreting the conditions required for early life and life on other worlds. Peritidal stromatolites are not directly protected anywhere globally, yet as a rare habitat, it is essential to document communities (including novel taxa), learn how they form, and determine their susceptibility to environmental change, so that they can be properly conserved. EPStromNet will create this new research partnership, which will continue into the future through plans to support early career researchers, develop post-graduate student opportunities and identify new research programmes and funding opportunities.