| 项目编号: | 1406956
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| 项目名称: | DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Living on the Edge: Biodiversity and Metabolic Potential of Microbial Communities in Salt Crusts of the Hyperarid Atacama Desert |
| 作者: | Ronald Amundson
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| 承担单位: | University of California-Berkeley
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| 批准年: | 2013
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| 开始日期: | 2014-06-01
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| 结束日期: | 2016-05-31
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| 资助金额: | USD20321
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| 资助来源: | US-NSF
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| 项目类别: | Standard Grant
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| 国家: | US
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| 语种: | 英语
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| 特色学科分类: | Biological Sciences - Environmental Biology
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| 英文关键词: | microbial community
; microbial biodiversity
; research
; hyperarid region
; atacama desert
; salt crust
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| 英文摘要: | For decades, the hyperarid region of the Atacama Desert was considered to be the dry limit to life, too hostile to sustain any growth. However, microorganisms have recently been discovered colonizing salt crusts on the surface of soils. It is hypothesized that salt is the key to their survival because it is able to absorb moisture from the atmosphere and create a liquid solution in an otherwise totally dry environment. This project is the first in-depth examination of the microbial communities in this unique ecosystem, and is designed to achieve two objectives: 1) to analyze how microbial biodiversity is affected by water availability, and 2) to determine how small changes in the availability of water influence the metabolic potential of the microbial communities. This will be accomplished through the use of 16S rRNA gene sequencing, metagenomic analysis, and confocal laser scanning microscopy.
This research examines how microbial biodiversity and metabolic potential vary with climate and moisture. The results will inform ecological theories that describe geographical patterns of life on earth. These theories are essential for proper management of ecosystems and for predicting biological response to global changes. Completion of the proposed research will also lay critical groundwork for future exploration of the desiccation and UV tolerance of the microorganisms, which is of great interest to a variety of fields including, biotechnology and renewable energy. |
| 资源类型: | 项目
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| 标识符: | http://119.78.100.158/handle/2HF3EXSE/96779
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| Appears in Collections: | 影响、适应和脆弱性
气候减缓与适应
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| Recommended Citation: | |
Ronald Amundson. DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Living on the Edge: Biodiversity and Metabolic Potential of Microbial Communities in Salt Crusts of the Hyperarid Atacama Desert. 2013-01-01.
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