Projects

Linking phosphorus and carbon in rhizosphere nutrient cycling

Lead Institution

Michigan State University

Principal Investigator

James Moran

Project type

FICUS Research

Plant root exudates provide a significant carbon (C) source for rhizosphere microbial communities. In return, these communities help mobilize nutrients needed for plant growth. For instance,…

Epigenetic regulation of anaerobic fungi for increased lignocellulose degradation

Lead Institution

University of Delaware

Principal Investigator

Kevin Solomon

Project type

FICUS Research

This project studies the impact of epigenetic regulation in anaerobic fungi to develop strategies that control lignocellulolytic enzyme expression and activity for increased lignocellulose breakdown…

Interactive mechanisms of mineral dissolution by a microbial consortia

Lead Institution

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Principal Investigator

Yeala Shaked

Project type

FICUS Research

Essential metabolic functions within ecosystems are often partitioned among various members of microbial communities that each benefit the whole population. For example, nitrogen fixation is carried…

Plant litter degradation and microbial defense by host-specific fungal endophytes

Lead Institution

University of California, Santa Barbara

Principal Investigator

Ryoko Oono

Project type

FICUS Research

Decomposition of leaf litter by a diverse microbial community is a major biogeochemical process in the global carbon cycle. Fungi are considered the primary decomposers of plant litter, especially of…

Can Mineral Growth by Oriented Attachment Lead to Incorporation of Uranium into the Structure of Fe(oxyhydr)oxides?

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Eugene Ilton

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Previous laboratory work has shown that uranium can be incorporated into the structure of hematite and goethite during co-precipitation and redox transformation of ferrihydrite, respectively. However…

Redox And Reactive Minerals: The Impact Of Redox Fluctuations On Mineral-Organic Matter Associations And Microbial Carbon Transformations In Tropical Forest Soils

Lead Institution

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Jennifer Pett-Ridge

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

In tropical ecosystems, changes in future Earth Systems will likely affect both the amplitude and periodicity of redox oscillations due to predicted increases in temperature and changes in the…

Understanding Reactive Nitrogen Recycling on Soil and Mineral Dust Surfaces

Lead Institution

Indiana University - Bloomington

Principal Investigator

Jonathan Raff

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

A fundamental understanding of the factors controlling the lifetime and fate of reactive nitrogen oxides (NOy = NO, NO2, HNO2, N2O5, etc.) in the atmosphere is critical for accurately representing…

Characterizing a tripartite plant - fungus - bacteria symbiosis important to peatland carbon and nitrogen cycling

Lead Institution

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

David Weston

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The importance of plant-microbiome systems on terrestrial carbon and nitrogen processes is perhaps most pronounced in Sphagnum dominated ecosystems, which occupy 3% of the Earth's land surface…

Biosystem dynamics and analysis of Rhodobacter sphaeroides strains with increased lipid accumulation

Lead Institution

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Principal Investigator

Timothy Donohue

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

We are requesting access to EMSL microscopy, including transmission electron microscopes, the helium ion microscope, and atomic force microscope. We also are requesting access to high-resolution…

Fundamental studies of the sorption of organic molecules within engineered soil surrogates

Lead Institution

Louisiana State University

Principal Investigator

Robert Cook

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The sorption of molecules into the organic matrix of soils (a.k.a soil organic matter [SOM]) is of great importance for a number of environmental issues; in particular 1) carbon cycling via carbon…

Spatially-resolved -omics to target reaction partitioning mechanisms in a unique lignocellulose-degrading fungus

Lead Institution

University of Minnesota

Principal Investigator

Jonathan Schilling

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Brown rot fungi are among a select group of filamentous fungi able to deconstruct lignocellulose, and their biochemical pathways have potential biofuels applications and carbon cycling implications…

Identification of protein interaction networks, cofactors and protein structures essential for mercury methylation in anaerobic bacteria

Lead Institution

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Alexander Johs

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Mercury is a pervasive global pollutant. Methylation of mercury (Hg) by anaerobic bacteria is the primary source of toxic methylmercury, which bioaccumulates up trophic levels and affects humans…

Towards Lignin Valorization: Investigation of biological, chemical and hybrid approaches to suppress lignin recondensation and maximize depolymerization

Lead Institution

Joint BioEnergy Institute

Principal Investigator

Seema Singh

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The primary goal of this proposed work is to use both experimental and computational approaches to understand and develop an integrated lignin conversion process for better utilization of lignin…

Examining the drivers of mineral weathering in humid to semiarid landscapes

Lead Institution

University of California, Davis

Principal Investigator

Rebecca Lybrand

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Mycorrhizae, the symbiotic relationships between plant roots and fungi, are the primary suppliers of growth-limiting nutrients to plants and the main transporters of carbon from plants to soils…

Uncovering microbial mechanisms to improve duckweed growth from biofuel/bioproduct production and nutrient cycling in aquatic envitonments

Lead Institution

University of Tennessee

Principal Investigator

Sarah Lebeis

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

While several mechanisms utilized by beneficial microbes associated with terrestrial plants have been characterized, less is known about how microbes affect aquatic plant growth. We hypothesized that…

Nitrogen Fixation by Endophytes of Populus

Lead Institution

University of Washington

Principal Investigator

Sharon Doty

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

To improve the environmental and economic sustainability of biomass production, it is essential that the biological interactions between plants and associated beneficial microbiota be more fully…

Linking soil microbial community traits to the soil storage potential of dissolved organic carbon from surface plant litter

Lead Institution

Los Alamos National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

John Dunbar

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The ground is an enormous reservoir of organic carbon (1,2). The concentration and residence time of carbon in soil varies with depth (1). The largest concentration of carbon is at the surface…

Growth of and contaminant incorporation in complex carbonate coatings at mineral/water interfaces

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Sebastien Kerisit

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

All realistic mineral surfaces in natural waters can be expected to be coated, and their reactive properties influenced by the presence of coatings. It is a common but challenging interfacial process…

Proteomic view of the iron deficiency response in Dunaliella

Lead Institution

University of California, Berkeley

Principal Investigator

Sabeeha Merchant

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Algae are responsible for half of global primary productivity and have an important role in biogeochemical cycling. Algae can thrive in nutrient-rich and nutrient-depleted environments, indicating…

Unraveling the catabolism of lignin-derived compounds in white-rot fungi

Lead Institution

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Davinia Salvachua Rodriguez

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

White rot fungi (WRF) are the most efficient organisms for the depolymerization and mineralization of lignin to CO2 and H2O in Nature and thus, WRF play a pivotal role in carbon cycling. Lignin…