RUI-Microbial Observatories: A Longitudinal Molecular Diversity and Chemical Survey of Red Layer Microbial Communities in Yellowstone National Park

Western Oregon University, Monmouth OR

Investigators

Abstract

A grant has been awarded to Dr. S. Boomer of Western Oregon University to identify, characterize, and monitor bacterial diversity at four long-term hot spring study sites in Yellowstone National Park. This award funds a renewal of what is known as the Red Layer Microbial Observatory project, the overall goal of which is to discover novel hot spring bacteria and consortia, and to understand their patterns of distribution and diversification. These studies will focus on Red/Green Nonsulfur microorganisms, a poorly understood ancient lineage of bacteria, and employ DNA sequence analysis and molecular population assessment techniques. Site assessment will also include extensive geochemical monitoring, including a cooperative effort with collaborators at the Thermal Biology Institute (Montana State University). This grant will also improve and support the maintenance of an on-line public database that integrates environmental and molecular data over time, allowing us to make correlations between environmental variation and observed genetic profiles of these microbial communities. Western Oregon University is a public institution that involves undergraduate students in research projects, both through research-based class and lab curricula as well as through intensive summer training experiences and workshops. A new component of this project will include an extensive commitment to research-based pre-college education outreach and the development of workshops for training teachers in molecular biology. During the first award period, this research project involved 83 undergraduates and 65 pre-college participants. Over the next five years, we anticipate this renewed project will impact twice as many undergraduates and three times the numbers of pre-college students, in addition to 35-50 teaching candidates per year.