Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Microbial Biology for FY2001

Broughton, Laura C, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Microbial Biology for FY2001. The fellowship supports training and research on the basic biology of protozoan, microalgal, fungal, archaeal, bacterial and viral species that are not generally considered to be model organisms. Further, it provides opportunities for a recent doctoral recipients to obtain additional training in microbial biology, to gain research experience under the sponsorship of established scientists, and to broaden his/her scientific horizons beyond the research experiences during the undergraduate and graduate training. These fellowships are further designed to assist new scientists to direct their research efforts across traditional disciplinary lines and to avail themselves of unique research resources, sites, and facilities, including foreign locations. The research and training plan is entitled "Understanding the role of the soil microbial community in the arctic tundra: integrating microorganisms with climate change theory." Soil microorganisms control the flow of nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus through ecosystems. Soil samples are being taken from established sites which have undergone existing long-term manipulations of temperature and nutrient and light availability. The sample microbial communities in these samples are being studied to determine whether treatments known to affect plant communities also affect soil microbial biomass, activity, and community composition as measured by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (tRFLP).