Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Microbial Biology for FY2001

Spear, John R, Golden CO

Investigators

Abstract

DBI 0102111 John R. Spear 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 "Microbial Diversity and Hydrogen in the Yellowstone Ecosystem." The goal of this work is to describe the microbial composition and metabolic underpinnings of the Yellowstone geothermal ecosystem, with the hypothesis that hydrogen is the primary biological energy source. First, hydrogen concentration in waters are being measured. Then, the associated biomass, consisting of hydrogen-metabolizing microorganisms, is being characterized using a molecular phylogenetic approach.