Projects

Molecular Studies of Biological Ice Nuclei over the U. S. Plains States

Lead Institution

Northwest Research Associates

Principal Investigator

Cynthia Twohy

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Some types of biological aerosol particles such as bacteria, fungal spores and pollen are known to be potent ice nuclei that form ice in the atmosphere at relatively warm temperatures. However, which…

The Role of Anaerobic Microsites in Soil Carbon Storage

Lead Institution

Stanford University

Principal Investigator

Scott Fendorf

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The overarching goal of this project is to quantitatively place the importance of metabolic constraints in anaerobic microsites on the rate of soil organic matter (OM) oxidation, and thus advance our…

Tracing the Influence of Exudate Chemistry, Microbiology, and Mineralogy on the Decomposition and Stabilization of Root-Derived Carbon

Lead Institution

University of California, Berkeley

Principal Investigator

Mary Firestone

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Soils store more carbon (C) than the atmosphere and biosphere combined, yet the fundamental mechanisms that regulate this vast pool of C remain elusive. Plant roots are the dominant source of C in…

Investigating the Synergistic Interactions Between Anthropogenic Gas-phase Hydrophobic Organics and Biogenic SOA Particles

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

ManishKumar Shrivastava

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

We propose to investigate the molecular-level processes responsible for anthropogenic-biogenic interactions that enhance production and atmospheric lifetime of biogenic secondary organic aerosol …

Fundamental Understanding of Chemical Transformations at the Interface between Bimetallic Catalysts and Solvents

Lead Institution

Washington State University

Principal Investigator

Yong Wang

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Production of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass, a renewable resource, can play a significant role in achieving goals of long term sustainability for the current energy infrastructure while…

Novel NMR Approaches for Detecting Methane/Enzyme Interactions and Biochemical Transformations in Vivo and in Vitro

Lead Institution

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Steven Yannone

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Identifying alternative transportation fuels and reducing atmospheric greenhouse gasses are critical global challenges and central aspects of DOE missions. Methane is an abundant energy source in the…

Control of methane and carbon dioxide emissions by sulfur biogeochemistry in terrestrial ecosystems

Lead Institution

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Principal Investigator

John Cliff

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Freshwater wetlands are responsible for 40% of the methane emissions worldwide. Despite very low amounts of ambient sulfate, these ecosystems often support high rates of sulfate reduction, rivaling…

In planta colocalization and induction of gene expression in wood-degrading fungi

Lead Institution

University of Minnesota

Principal Investigator

Jonathan Schilling

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Wood-degrading fungi make energy from nature’s most abundant yet most recalcitrant plant tissue.9 Their mechanisms have obvious bioenergy relevance, and the brown rot fungi we study accomplish this…

Understanding the ionic transport phenomena in high capacity and high voltage oxides for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries

Lead Institution

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Debasish Mohanty

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

This project proposes the utilization of high resolution characterization techniques, namely Atom Probe Tomography (APT) and aberration corrected Transmission electron microscopy on high-voltage…

Chemical Imaging and Molecular Characterization of Primary Biological Particles.

Lead Institution

University of California, Irvine

Principal Investigator

Alex Guenther

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The objective of the proposed project is to conduct in-depth studies of Primary Biological Aerosol Particles (PBAP) for predictive understanding of their environmental impact. The ultimate goal is to…

Development of NMR Sparse Sampling Methods for Quantitative Metabolic Flux Analysis

Lead Institution

Duke University

Principal Investigator

Brian Coggins

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Quantitative metabolomics and metabolic flux analysis have emerged in recent years as valuable approaches for the study of carbon cycling in living organisms and in the environment, whether for…

Molecular mechanisms underlying changes in the temperature sensitive respiration response of forest soils to long-term experimental warming

Lead Institution

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Principal Investigator

Jeffrey Blanchard

Project type

FICUS Research

A more complete understanding of how global warming will affect carbon-cycle feedbacks to the climate system is central to model projections of future climate. Simulation experiments with fully…

Deciphering controls on plant decomposition in Arctic ecosystems: Identifying unknown microbial condensed tannin degradation pathways

Lead Institution

Colorado State University

Principal Investigator

Kelly Wrighton

Project type

FICUS Research

Climate change in the Arctic is progressing rapidly, and much of the focus, thus far, has been on permafrost thaw and the rapid mineralization of soil organic carbon (C) by soil microorganisms…

The impacts of nitrogen availability and seasonal dynamics on plant-microbial interactions affecting C and N cycling in coniferous forest soils

Lead Institution

Institute of Microbiology of the CAS

Principal Investigator

Petr Baldrian

Project type

FICUS Research

Coniferous forests are widely distributed in temperate and boreal biomes and the fact that they efficiently store large stocks of carbon makes them globally important. Decomposer and mycorrhizal…

Global warming induced salinity shifts: metabolic responses by algal-bacterial consortia

Lead Institution

University of Washington

Principal Investigator

Rose Ann Cattolico

Project type

FICUS Research

The reality of global warming predicts that the survival of many organisms will be compromised due to rapid environmental changes of the ecosystems in which they live. Aquatic ecosystems are…

The role of priming effects on the conversion of blue carbon to CO2 in the coastal zone

Lead Institution

University of Florida

Principal Investigator

Thomas Bianchi

Project type

FICUS Research

"Blue carbon," or organic carbon (OC) derived from and stored in coastal and marine environments, is recognized as an important OC sink within the global carbon cycle, particularly in…

Systems analysis of grass secondary cell wall development and regulation for biofuel production

Lead Institution

Washington State University

Principal Investigator

Laura Bartley

Project type

FICUS Research

The objective of this proposal is to identify the proteins, phosphopeptides, transcripts, and metabolic signatures that mediate secondary cell wall (SCW) development in grasses. Grass cell walls are…

Combined 'omics approaches for the study of ectomycorrhizal symbiosis between Suillus and Pinaceae, with emphasis on their role in nutrient cycling

Lead Institution

University of Florida

Principal Investigator

Hui-ling Liao

Project type

FICUS Research

This study will explore the genetics of obligately symbiotic interactions between conifers (Pinaceae) and their host-specific ectomycorrhizal fungi in the mushroom genus Suillus, and their effects on…

Understanding conversion of biomass-derived carbon into lipids and terpenoids in the oleaginous yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides

Lead Institution

University of California, Berkeley

Principal Investigator

Jeffrey Skerker

Project type

FICUS Research

The objective of this proposal is to understand how biomass-derived carbon is converted into lipids and terpenoids in the oleaginous and carotenogenic yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides. We will carry…

Metabolic Constraints on Organic Matter Decomposition and Metal Cycling in Sediment Deposits

Lead Institution

Stanford University

Principal Investigator

Scott Fendorf

Project type

FICUS Research

Depositional environments such as floodplains are poorly understood and dynamic components of the global carbon cycle that not are well represented in Earth system models. Further, they have a…