Collaborative Research: ULTRA-Data: Microbial Mat Community Structure and Metabolic Potential Changes Following an Eruptive Event at Axial Seamount

Microbial communities at hydrothermal vents mediate key ocean biogeochemical processes, including cycling of carbon and other elements. Vent ecosystems are highly productive, but dynamic and ephemeral because volcanic eruptions periodically create novel habitat, and the processes of microbial community assembly are not well understood. This project leverages a unique set of microbial samples and geochemical data collected over five years following the eruption of an underwater volcano. The team is applying modern molecular genetic and computational approaches to these samples to advance understanding of deep sea microbial biodiversity, community assembly dynamics, and how microbial metabolic capacity changes as communities develop. The results advance understanding of ecosystem function in extreme environments and the role of deep sea microbial communities in global carbon and mineral cycling. The project also supports research training for graduate and undergraduate students and public outreach through STEAM-based community workshops about hydrothermal vent microbial communities, short public courses about microbes, and materials shared with K-12 educators. This advances understanding of hydrothermal vent microbial biogeography and community succession, leveraging a unique series of microbial mats and microbial growth chambers, collected over five years following the 1998 eruption of Axial Seamount, as well as an extensive time-series of geological and chemical data at this active volcano. The team is using amplicon sequencing, metagenome-assembled genomes, and network-based analyses to 1) evaluate biodiversity, metabolic potential, and community assembly dynamics from short-term and long-term microbial growth chamber incubations and co-located microbial mats, then 2) integrate these results with vent fluid and geochemical datasets to identify source populations for newly formed mats and determine how metabolic capacity changes during community development. 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.