This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2020, Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow that will contribute to the area of Rules of Life in innovative ways. Microorganisms represent a significant portion of life on Earth and are responsible for an array of activities across a wide range of habitats. Microbes play a pivotal role in driving geological and environmental processes that help shape the natural world. Understanding the functional capabilities of microorganisms can advance knowledge about global carbon (a key building block of life) cycling and may help elucidate the limits of life across environmental gradients. Relatively few studies have been done that directly link specific microorganisms with active chemical (metabolic) processes in real time. This research will use new technology to directly link microbial types to their functional roles in deep subseafloor environments. This will provide insight into how microbes survive and contribute to ecosystem processes in extreme environments. The fellow will broaden participation in science by developing a science communication program with a local Native American tribal college and by engaging diverse undergraduate students in environmental research.
The sediment biosphere supports a significant portion of Earth’s biomass in one of the largest ecosystems on the planet. The environmental roles of microbes in the deep biosphere are largely uncharacterized, but the range of redox conditions in this ecosystem presents a unique opportunity to explore how microbes respond to changes in environmental stimuli. This research aims to characterize the active microbial populations in the deep biosphere and link these active taxa with metabolic function across environmental gradients to correlate the genetics, physiology, and ecology that drive deep sea carbon flow. The fellow will use biorthogonal non-canonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT), fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS), single cell genomics, metagenome and metatranscriptome sequencing, direct activity measurements, and geochemical approaches to identify active microbial populations and decipher the genes involved in their metabolisms. Characterizing linkages between metabolic potential and activity will contribute directly to the understanding of the Rules of Life governing changes in metabolic function. Additionally, the fellow aims to broaden science participation by organizing and implementing a science communication program that provides students from diverse backgrounds with opportunities to be exposed to and participate in deep sea research. This program will be designed specifically to connect students from a local Native American tribal college with cutting-edge research, thus increasing inclusion of a population underrepresented in science.
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.
