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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Natural And Lignocellulose-Enriched Microbial Communities In Great Boiling Spring, Nv, Jessica Cole Dec 2012

Natural And Lignocellulose-Enriched Microbial Communities In Great Boiling Spring, Nv, Jessica Cole

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The natural microbial communities present in Great Boiling Spring were investigated and contrasted against those present after in situ enrichment with lignocellulose. High-throughput cultivation-independent DNA sequencing of the V8 region of the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene generated a total of 274,119 quality-filtered pyrosequencing fragments. Twelve natural spring samples were analyzed, including four high-temperature water samples and eight sediment samples ranging from 87 - 62 °C. Eight lignocellulosic enrichments incubated in the spring sediment and water at two high-temperature sites were analyzed. The natural water communities were found to be extremely uneven but relatively constant throughout time. The natural sediment …


Survey Of Glycerol Dialkyl Glycerol Tetraethers (Gdgts) In Nevada And California Hot Springs And Selected T Thermophiles, Julienne J. Paraiso, Amanda Jean Williams, Brian P. Hedlund, Chuanlun L. Zhang Jan 2012

Survey Of Glycerol Dialkyl Glycerol Tetraethers (Gdgts) In Nevada And California Hot Springs And Selected T Thermophiles, Julienne J. Paraiso, Amanda Jean Williams, Brian P. Hedlund, Chuanlun L. Zhang

McNair Poster Presentations

Glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) are core membrane lipids of many Archaea and some Bacteria found ubiquitously in soils and in many aqueous environments. Here, we examined the GDGT concentration in forty sediment samples from geothermal hot springs in the Great Basin (USA). Sediment samples were collected in tandem with extensive geochemical and site characterization. Hot spring temperatures ranged from 31 to 95°C and pH values from 6.8 to 10.7. Parametric Pearson's correlation coefficients and nonparametric Spearman's rho values were calculated to identify significant correlations between GDGT profiles and geochemical analytes. Isoprenoidal GDGTs (iGDGTs) negatively correlated with pH and positively …


Exploring Diversity Of Nitrate Reducing Thermophiles In Nevada Hot Springs, Jenny Lam, Jeremy A. Dodsworth, Brian P. Hedlund Aug 2009

Exploring Diversity Of Nitrate Reducing Thermophiles In Nevada Hot Springs, Jenny Lam, Jeremy A. Dodsworth, Brian P. Hedlund

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

High rates of denitrification have been measured in Nevada geothermal hot springs, but little is known about the thermophiles that contribute to this activity. We hypothesize that heterotrophic bacteria in the genus Thermus are the most important denitrifiers in the springs. Alternatively, other microorganisms including chemolithotrophs may also be important. To test these hypotheses, several different strategies will be used to try to enrich and isolate nitrate-reducing microorganisms. Isolates will be identified by 16S rRNA gene PCR and sequencing. Subsequently, representative isolates will be chosen for nitrate reductase gene (narG) sequencing and for studies on the kinetics of nitrate reduction …


Genomic Foundations Of Carbon Fixation In Bacteria Living In Hot Springs, Rachel K. Skinner, Brian P. Hedlund, Jeremy A. Dodsworth Aug 2008

Genomic Foundations Of Carbon Fixation In Bacteria Living In Hot Springs, Rachel K. Skinner, Brian P. Hedlund, Jeremy A. Dodsworth

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

Photosynthesis does not occur above 73°C, so organisms living above this temperature must obtain useable carbon by some other mechanism. It is generally assumed that carbon is fixed by thermophiles through the process of chemolithoautotrophy; however, primary production has never been demonstrated to occur in hot springs >73°C. We have shown that two organisms, Thermocrinis and Pyrobaculum, make up more than 90% of the cells in an 80°C Great Basin hot spring, Great Boiling Spring. We hypothesize that these organisms fix carbon in the hot spring via the reverse tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycle. To test this hypothesis we will: i) …