Characterization of Marine Carbon Monoxide Utilizing Bacteria

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this project is to identify component members of the microbial community responsible for the oxidation of CO in coastal marine environments through a combination of recent microbiological and molecular approaches, and to estimate their contributions to total in situ CO bio-oxidation. The researchers will utilize a simple method that does not rely on liquid batch?cultures, for screening and isolating microorganisms with a particular phenotype. Replicate filters will allow for the isolation and purification of active CO-metabolizing colonies. Since this method spatially separates otherwise competing populations, simultaneous recovery of organisms with different growth rates and nutritional requirements is possible, and large numbers of bacteria can be screened rapidly at one time. Cell-specific CO-oxidation activity will be determined for selected strains with time-series 14 CO-oxidation methods. Molecular phylogeny based on 16S-rRNA sequence information within the context of the large and growing 16S database will determine the phylogenetic relatedness and identity of marine CO?oxidizing bacteria that result from our cultivation program. A collective CO-oxidation rate calculated from physiological measurements and abundance estimates of CO-oxidizing organisms will be balanced with biogeochemical CO-oxidation measurements to verify that activity and abundance of CO-oxidizing bacteria can account for the total CO-oxidation that is observed in natural waters.