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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Exploring Diversity Of Nitrate Reducing Thermophiles In Nevada Hot Springs, Jenny Lam, Jeremy A. Dodsworth, Brian P. Hedlund
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 …
Characterization Of Aerobic Respiration In Great Basin Hot Springs, Caitlin N. Murphy
Characterization Of Aerobic Respiration In Great Basin Hot Springs, Caitlin N. Murphy
UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
Despite a wide diversity of possible electron donors available to fuel chemolithotrophy, it has been proposed that hydrogen is the single most important electron donor in geothermal ecosystems. To directly test this hypothesis, a simple system was devised to determine whether microorganisms in hot spring water and sediment are capable of using hydrogen and other electron donors for aerobic respiration using microrespirometry. The protocol for these experiments was developed using pure cultures of Thermocrinis ruber to determine the effect of growth conditions on the rate of oxygen consumption following the addition of electron donors. For field experiments, samples were collected …