Adaptive mechanisms and substrate interactions of microbial communities in dry extremes Live Sciences - Microbiology
Abstract
With high solar fluxes, including lethal UV radiation, severe shifts in temperature, high evaporation rate, and scarcity of water, hyper-arid deserts are among the most extreme places on Earth. Under these extreme conditions, microorganisms, often the only biotic component of the ecosystem, find refuge inside rocks as a survival strategy. As such, these rocky (endolithic) habitats provide a unique system to study processes at the biotic-abiotic interface under extreme environmental stresses. Endolithic microorganisms have existed over millions of years, they have adapted to living under extreme conditions and thus provide a pathway to shed light on unique adaptations and biodegradative properties that would potentially enable tactical advantages for DOD related functions. The objective of this project is to elucidate microbe-mineral interactions in rock-inhabiting microbial communities and how these interactions impact the assembly, adaptations, and activities of these communities in extreme environments. We propose a coordinated technical approach using materials science and biology to unravel the physical and chemical mechanisms that underpin the adaptations of these microorganisms. Specifically, we propose: (1) to identify key cellular networks linked to survival, sense-and-respond mechanisms to perturbation, and interactions between community members and with the rock substrate. We will use high throughput deep-sequencing technologies, comparative analyses, and colonized rock substrates previously collected in hyper-arid deserts around the world - "the biotic"; (2) to determine at the physical and chemical levels the interactions between microorganisms and their rock environment. We will use microscopic and spectroscopic techniques to uncover multiscale architectural features as well as structural and chemical features that may have played a role in facilitating adaptation and/or are resulting from microbial activities within the substrate - "the abiotic"; and (3) to use natural and synthetic substrates colonized by in vitro-reconstructed communities in "colonization reactors" to provide temporal structure-function relationships, validate specific hypotheses, and potentially translate to engineered designs - "the reconstructed". This project supports the objectives of the ARO program and the DOD because it utilizes natural systems to bridge multiple fields of biology, materials science, and engineering in order to create new technological capabilities for multifunctional systems that can survive in extreme environments. We anticipate translation engineered energy conversion systems with a significant potential impact in automotive, aerospace and municipal energy sectors. Finally, we will cross-train students in Materials Science and Molecular Biology.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 14, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1810253
Entities
People
- Jocelyne DiRuggiero
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Johns Hopkins University
- United States Army