| NSF Org: |
DEB Division Of Environmental Biology |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 30, 2018 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 30, 2018 |
| Award Number: | 1831106 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Kendra McLauchlan
kmclauch@nsf.gov (703)292-2217 DEB Division Of Environmental Biology BIO Directorate for Biological Sciences |
| Start Date: | August 1, 2018 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $399,313.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $399,313.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
800 S MAIN ST HARRISONBURG VA US 22801-3104 (540)568-6872 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
VA US 22807-0001 |
| 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): | Dimensions of Biodiversity |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| 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): | 47.074 |
ABSTRACT
In recent years, harmful outbreaks of toxic cyanobacteria have reached new levels in water bodies all over the world. These cyanobacterial blooms are threatening freshwater lakes. The toxins pose substantial health risks to humans, pets, livestock, and wildlife. Rather than focusing strictly on nutrients and climate like previous research, this project explores the complex bacterial communities that co-occur with cyanobacteria. The project will test the hypothesis that cyanobacteria are supported through a mutually beneficial relationship with a mixture of other bacteria species. This project will make new discoveries about how to mitigate cyanobacterial blooms by comparing different ones across the world during important periods in their life cycles. This project will develop an enhanced understanding of the interactions between cyanobacteria and associated species. This project involves researchers at four U.S. institutions, one of which focuses on undergraduate education. There will be training of at least five Ph.D. and 20 undergraduate students. The project will specifically recruit under-represented minorities into STEM fields to help prepare a diverse scientific workforce.
This project will study the fundamental interactions driving one of the most common environmental problems: freshwater toxic cyanobacterial blooms. The central hypothesis is that these blooms constitute complex interactions of cyanobacterial species and associated bacteria. These groups of bacteria co-evolved to form a community of synergistic species, each with unique metabolic capabilities that are critical to the growth, maintenance, and demise of the bloom. Three approaches will be used: (1) a global survey of cyanobacterial blooms throughout the phases of the bloom, (2) a targeted series of metagenomic surveys, and (3) experimental work in the lab and field at sites in China and North America. This project will also explore the roles of nutrient inputs, nutrient ratios, and various forms of nitrogen. New analyses will investigate the taxonomic identities and functional outcomes of these cyanobacterial communities. The results of this project will lead to improved predictions about the toxicity of blooms threatening human activities. This research aims to mitigate harmful cyanobacterial blooms by using a realistic approach based on community ecology and evolutionary biology.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms are a threat to our freshwater resources. Using advanced technology like DNA sequencing, we have recently realized that cyanobacteria that form blooms have their own diverse microbiome that is essential to bloom formation and success. This project examined the impact of that microbiome on the cyanobacterium Microcystis under conditions of stress, specifically when exposed to high levels of hydrogen peroxide or changes to nutrient conditions. We discovered that bacteria that are members of the microbiome can act to rescue Microcystis when it is exposed to high levels of hydrogen peroxide that normally impeded its growth. Interestingly, these bacteria that we tested on a Microcystis bloom were isolated from a totally separate bloom on another continent. This indicates that these bacteria can interact with Microcystis generally and are not specific to any one geographic location. Relatedly, some bacteria that are present in blooms have the ability to produce auxins, which are primarilly plant hormones. When Microcystis is exposed to these auxins, we found that it induces a response that is consisent with the production of antioxidants, further protecting it from internal production of reactive oxygen such as hydrogen peroxide. From this project we have a much more comprehensive model of how bacteria can protect Microcystis from hydrogen peroxide and other reactive oxygen species, in turn allowing Microcystis to grow to high density and form blooms.
This work is critical to the new wave of research that no longer ignores the effects of the bacterial microbiome on cyanobacteria and other algae. We now have these data as a foundation for building more comprehensive and effective mitigation strategies for the blooms that threaten our access to valuable freshwater resources. This project also supported the training of undergraduate and graduate students at James Madison University, a primarily undergraduate institution in Virginia.
Last Modified: 01/24/2025
Modified by: Morgan M Steffen
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