Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The diversity of life on Earth is an irreplaceable natural heritage. The diversity of microbial life is enormous, however recent evidence indicates that most (around 99%) of microbial species remain undiscovered. Modern science has produced a new awareness of this extraordinary diversity, as well as the surprising range of habitats where microbes flourish. Their metabolic types are equally broad and include a wide variety of photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic pathways. Photosynthesis is a major process that increases the free energy on Earth, and research in this field has great importance. The proposed Program will help us not only better understand the aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic phenomenon, but also enhance our knowledge of the photometabolism of diverse bacteria and the evolution of photosynthesis. Development of study in heavy metal transformations will bring in-depth exploration of novel communities and species adaptations. Of particular interest is the metal reducing capacity of hydrothermal vent isolates. The ability to reduce toxic oxyanions of Te to the less toxic elemental form may be applied in bioremediation of polluted effluents from industrial operations. In addition, such bacteria could prove useful in practical biometallurgy of rare and expensive Te. Thus our work will make both fundamental and technological contributions. The particular subjects of the Research Proposal are composed of four related parts: A. Diversity, taxonomic nuances and evolution of aerobic anoxygenic phototrophs will be investigated; B. Mysterious aerobic anoxygenic photosynthetic apparatus will be studied; C. Microbiology of the deep ocean hydrothermal vents; and D. Microbial biotransformation of heavy metals is proposed for detailed analysis. The approaches to be taken include the use of a variety microbiological, biochemical, molecular biological, taxonomic and phylogenetic techniques.