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Study Finds Natural Organic Carbon Source Fuels Growth of Diverse, Distinct Bacteria from Groundwater1 min read

by Christina Procopiou on March 25, 2021

Ecology Department

 

Xiaoqin Wu, Sara Gushgari-Doyle, and Mon Oo Yee from Romy Chakraborty’s group in EESA’s Ecology Department and the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT have published a paper in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology describing a study they hope will advance cultivation and isolation strategies for recovering diverse, uncultivable, and novel microorganisms from Earth’s subsurface. This project falls under the DOE-BER ENIGMA SFA, and builds on this previous work by EESA researchers.

Despite advances in modern molecular technology, it remains difficult to recover and cultivate these diverse microorganisms within the laboratory. To be successful in doing so, microbiologists need to develop strategies to closely mimic the bacteria’s ecological habitat.

The research team applied naturally occurring complex carbon (C) sources, including sediment dissolved organic matter (DOM) and bacterial cell lysate, that microbes encounter in their natural habitats to enrich groundwater microbial communities for 30 days. For comparison, the scientists included enrichments amended with simple C sources including glucose, acetate, benzoate, oleic acid, cellulose, and mixed vitamins, other popular C choices generally used for this purpose. Their results show that complex but native C is far more effective in enriching diverse and distinct microorganisms from groundwater than simple, often-used C, which yield significantly lower biodiversity, and are dominated by few phyla (e.g., Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes). Microcosms enriched with complex C demonstrate significantly higher biodiversity including phyla that are poorly represented in published culture collections (e.g., Verrucomicrobia, Planctomycetes, and Armatimonadetes).

“Obtaining axenic representatives of “once-unculturable” microorganisms will enhance our understanding of microbial physiology and function in different biogeochemical niches of terrestrial subsurface ecosystems,” Chakraborty said. “Our findings will benefit future development of effective cultivation/isolation strategies to obtain diverse and ecologically relevant microorganisms from the environment.”

News & Events

A Q&A With Ingenuity Intern Hang Chen2 min read

August 4, 2022

After excelling in the sciences throughout high school and his undergraduate program, 2022 Ingenuity intern Hang Chen realized he wasn’t just good at science – he enjoyed it. Chen received his Bachelor’s degree in geophysics from Central South University in China, and is a current geophysics Ph.D. candidate at Boise State University in Idaho. Chen…

A Q&A With Ingenuity Intern Toshiyuki Bandai2 min read

After 2022 Ingenuity Intern Toshiyuki Bandai studied soil physics in his Bachelor’s and Master’s programs at the University of Tokyo in Japan, he was eager to learn even more about soil and apply his knowledge to other areas in environmental science. As a current Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Merced, he is continuing…

A Q&A With Ingenuity Intern Elijah Adeniyi2 min read

Equipped with a Master’s degree in geology, 2022 Ingenuity Intern Elijah Adeniyi has been eager to apply his background to new areas of environmental science. “Taking on new challenges and learning,” Adeniyi stated, “is what science is all about.” As a Ph.D. student at Montana State University, Adeniyi is continuing to study geology and has…

Daniel Stolper Selected by DOE’s Early Career Research Program2 min read

June 22, 2022

Daniel Stolper is among five Berkeley Lab researchers to receive funding through the Department of Energy’s Early Career Research Program (ECRP), and is one of just 83 nationwide to be selected this year by the DOE for this prestigious award. Stolper is an EESA faculty scientist with a joint appointment at UC Berkeley, where he…

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