| NSF Org: |
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 12, 2007 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | September 12, 2007 |
| Award Number: | 0636828 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Diana Nemergut
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | September 15, 2007 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2012 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $190,806.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $190,806.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
202 HIMES HALL BATON ROUGE LA US 70803-0001 (225)578-2760 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
202 HIMES HALL BATON ROUGE LA US 70803-0001 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
ANT Organisms & Ecosystems, EPSCoR Co-Funding |
| Primary Program Source: |
app-0407 |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.078 |
ABSTRACT
Abstract
The proposed research will address an emerging and exciting question in cryospheric biology: are microorganisms capable of metabolism in glacier ice? The proposed study will involve a comprehensive assessment of the biogeochemistry and geomicrobiology of Taylor Glacier (McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica) basal ice via a combination of field measurements and laboratory experiments. Our holistic approach will provide data to connect nutrient availability, geochemical composition, and gas composition with microbial cell density, diversity and metabolic status in the basal ice sequence. Multi-sample analysis of the same ice facies will allow assessment of the chemical and microbial linkages in basal ice and the manner by which microbes may modify gas compositions in situ. The proposed approach will address two key questions outlined by the National Research Council's "Frontiers in Polar Biology in the Genomic Era" (2003): (i) "Can microorganisms in this (frozen) environment reproduce?" and (ii) "What are the similarities and differences among microorganisms in different subzero environments?" Confirming that microbial activity occurs in situ in glacier ice at temperatures of -17C would represent a significant advance in cryospheric biology and significantly expand the known boundaries of the biosphere. Such information is highly relevant to the ice core paleoclimatic community, as it would provide a viable explanation for inconsistencies in some ice-core gas records. The basal ice zones of polar glaciers show similarities with the layered deposits evident in images of the marginal zones of the northern ice cap on Mars. Thus, our research will also have implications relevant to discussions about microbial persistence and survival in ice on Mars. This research will support 2 new investigators, and provide training for 2 Ph.D. students and 2 undergraduate students. Students from unrepresented communities in science and engineering will be actively recruited for these positions. Web-based tools to target students interested in pursuing a career in science will be maintained and expanded upon by incorporating our results into the NSF funded (DERMEED-1) library under construction at MSU, as part of the national (SMETE) digital library.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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