Not listed WITH A FOSSIL RECORD THAT DATES BACK 3.7 BILLION YEARS STROMATOLITES REPRESENT ONE OF THE MOST ANCIENT KNOWN ECOSYSTEMS ON EARTH.THESE LONG-LIVED COMMUNITIES FORM LAMINATED SEDIMENTARY STRUCTURES AS A RESULT OF THE SYNERGY BETWEEN MICROBIAL METABOLISMS ANDTHE ENVIRONMENT. INVESTIGATIONS OF EXTANT STROMATOLITES REPRESENT A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THE FEEDBACK THAT OCCURS BETWEENSTROMATOLITE COMMUNITIES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT. TO BEGIN TO EXAMINE THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN STROMATOLITES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT IT IS CRITICAL TO CHARACTERIZE THE STROMATOLITE MICROBIOME HERE DEFINED AS THE COLLECTION OF GENOMES OF THE STROMATOLITE MICROBIALCOMMUNITY. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF MY DISSERTATION IS TO COMPARE THE MICROBIOMES OF STROMATOLITE-FORMING MICROBIAL COMMUNITIESFROM ENVIRONMENTALLY DIVERSE SITES. THE RESULTS WILL IDENTIFY POTENTIAL GENETIC PATHWAYS METABOLITES AND EXTRINSIC FACTORS THAT INFLUENCESTROMATOLITE FORMATION. MY CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT STROMATOLITES HAVE A UNIQUE MICROBIAL CONSORTIUM THAT DRIVES THE FORMATION OFDISCREET MICROENVIRONMENTS WITHIN THE STROMATOLITE COMMUNITIES WHICH IN TURN INFLUENCES THE EXTENT OF CARBONATE PRECIPITATION. FORTHIS RESEARCH I WILL TARGET THE HYPERSALINE STROMATOLITES OF HAMELIN POOL IN SHARK BAY WESTERN AUSTRALIA. HAMELIN POOL IS THE LARGESTMODERN STROMATOLITE ECOSYSTEM IN THE WORLD WITH A SHORELINE OF 135 KM ALMOST ENTIRELY POPULATED WITH STROMATOLITES. ENVIRONMENTALPARAMETERS SUCH AS TEMPERATURE SALINITY AND WATER DEPTH VARY EXTENSIVELY THROUGHOUT HAMELIN POOL. ($3k) 1/18/22 P00004 WITH A FOSSIL RECORD THAT DATES BACK 3.7 BILLION YEARS STROMATOLITES REPRESENT ONE OF THE MOST ANCIENT KNOWN ECOSYSTEMS ON EARTH. THESE LONG-LIVED COMMUNITIES FORM LAMINATED SEDIMENTARY STRUCTURES AS A RESULT OF THE SYNERGY BETWEEN MICROBIAL METABOLISMS AND THE ENVIRONMENT. INVESTIGATIONS OF EXTANT STROMATOLITES REPRESENT A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THE FEEDBACK THAT OCCURS BETWEEN STROMATOLITE COMMUNITIES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT. TO BEGIN TO EXAMINE THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN STROMATOLITES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT, IT IS CRITICAL TO CHARACTERIZE THE STROMATOLITE MICROBIOME, HERE DEFINED AS THE COLLECTION OF GENOMES OF THE STROMATOLITE MICROBIAL COMMUNITY. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF MY DISSERTATION IS TO COMPARE THE MICROBIOMES OF STROMATOLITE-FORMING MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES FROM ENVIRONMENTALLY DIVERSE SITES. THE RESULTS WILL IDENTIFY POTENTIAL GENETIC PATHWAYS, METABOLITES AND EXTRINSIC FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE STROMATOLITE FORMATION. MY CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT STROMATOLITES HAVE A UNIQUE MICROBIAL CONSORTIUM THAT DRIVES THE FORMATION OF DISCREET MICROENVIRONMENTS WITHIN THE STROMATOLITE COMMUNITIES, WHICH IN TURN INFLUENCES THE EXTENT OF CARBONATE PRECIPITATION. FOR THIS RESEARCH I WILL TARGET THE HYPERSALINE STROMATOLITES OF HAMELIN POOL, IN SHARK BAY WESTERN AUSTRALIA. HAMELIN POOL IS THE LARGEST MODERN STROMATOLITE ECOSYSTEM IN THE WORLD WITH A SHORELINE OF 135 KM ALMOST ENTIRELY POPULATED WITH STROMATOLITES. ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS, SUCH AS TEMPERATURE, SALINITY, AND WATER DEPTH VARY EXTENSIVELY THROUGHOUT HAMELIN POOL. Funding Only Action ($3k) 1/18/22 P00003 WITH A FOSSIL RECORD THAT DATES BACK 3.7 BILLION YEARS STROMATOLITES REPRESENT ONE OF THE MOST ANCIENT KNOWN ECOSYSTEMS ON EARTH. THESE LONG-LIVED COMMUNITIES FORM LAMINATED SEDIMENTARY STRUCTURES AS A RESULT OF THE SYNERGY BETWEEN MICROBIAL METABOLISMS AND THE ENVIRONMENT. INVESTIGATIONS OF EXTANT STROMATOLITES REPRESENT A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THE FEEDBACK THAT OCCURS BETWEEN STROMATOLITE COMMUNITIES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT. TO BEGIN TO EXAMINE THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN STROMATOLITES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT, IT IS CRITICAL TO CHARACTERIZE THE STROMATOLITE MICROBIOME, HERE DEFINED AS THE COLLECTION OF GENOMES OF THE STROMATOLITE MICROBIAL COMMUNITY. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF MY DISSERTATION IS TO COMPARE THE MICROBIOMES OF STROMATOLITE-FORMING MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES FROM ENVIRONMENTALLY DIVERSE SITES. THE RESULTS WILL IDENTIFY POTENTIAL GENETIC PATHWAYS, METABOLITES AND EXTRINSIC FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE STROMATOLITE FORMATION. MY CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT STROMATOLITES HAVE A UNIQUE MICROBIAL CONSORTIUM THAT DRIVES THE FORMATION OF DISCREET MICROENVIRONMENTS WITHIN THE STROMATOLITE COMMUNITIES, WHICH IN TURN INFLUENCES THE EXTENT OF CARBONATE PRECIPITATION. FOR THIS RESEARCH I WILL TARGET THE HYPERSALINE STROMATOLITES OF HAMELIN POOL, IN SHARK BAY WESTERN AUSTRALIA. HAMELIN POOL IS THE LARGEST MODERN STROMATOLITE ECOSYSTEM IN THE WORLD WITH A SHORELINE OF 135 KM ALMOST ENTIRELY POPULATED WITH STROMATOLITES. ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS, SUCH AS TEMPERATURE, SALINITY, AND WATER DEPTH VARY EXTENSIVELY THROUGHOUT HAMELIN POOL. Other Administrative Action $0 7/23/20 Not listed WITH A FOSSIL RECORD THAT DATES BACK 3.7 BILLION YEARS STROMATOLITES REPRESENT ONE OF THE MOST ANCIENT KNOWN ECOSYSTEMS ON EARTH.THESE LONG-LIVED COMMUNITIES FORM LAMINATED SEDIMENTARY STRUCTURES AS A RESULT OF THE SYNERGY BETWEEN MICROBIAL METABOLISMS ANDTHE ENVIRONMENT. INVESTIGATIONS OF EXTANT STROMATOLITES REPRESENT A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THE FEEDBACK THAT OCCURS BETWEENSTROMATOLITE COMMUNITIES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT. TO BEGIN TO EXAMINE THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN STROMATOLITES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT IT IS CRITICAL TO CHARACTERIZE THE STROMATOLITE MICROBIOME HERE DEFINED AS THE COLLECTION OF GENOMES OF THE STROMATOLITE MICROBIALCOMMUNITY. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF MY DISSERTATION IS TO COMPARE THE MICROBIOMES OF STROMATOLITE-FORMING MICROBIAL COMMUNITIESFROM ENVIRONMENTALLY DIVERSE SITES. THE RESULTS WILL IDENTIFY POTENTIAL GENETIC PATHWAYS METABOLITES AND EXTRINSIC FACTORS THAT INFLUENCESTROMATOLITE FORMATION. MY CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT STROMATOLITES HAVE A UNIQUE MICROBIAL CONSORTIUM THAT DRIVES THE FORMATION OFDISCREET MICROENVIRONMENTS WITHIN THE STROMATOLITE COMMUNITIES WHICH IN TURN INFLUENCES THE EXTENT OF CARBONATE PRECIPITATION. FORTHIS RESEARCH I WILL TARGET THE HYPERSALINE STROMATOLITES OF HAMELIN POOL IN SHARK BAY WESTERN AUSTRALIA. HAMELIN POOL IS THE LARGESTMODERN STROMATOLITE ECOSYSTEM IN THE WORLD WITH A SHORELINE OF 135 KM ALMOST ENTIRELY POPULATED WITH STROMATOLITES. ENVIRONMENTALPARAMETERS SUCH AS TEMPERATURE SALINITY AND WATER DEPTH VARY EXTENSIVELY THROUGHOUT HAMELIN POOL. $0 7/23/20 P00002 WITH A FOSSIL RECORD THAT DATES BACK 3.7 BILLION YEARS STROMATOLITES REPRESENT ONE OF THE MOST ANCIENT KNOWN ECOSYSTEMS ON EARTH. THESE LONG-LIVED COMMUNITIES FORM LAMINATED SEDIMENTARY STRUCTURES AS A RESULT OF THE SYNERGY BETWEEN MICROBIAL METABOLISMS AND THE ENVIRONMENT. INVESTIGATIONS OF EXTANT STROMATOLITES REPRESENT A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THE FEEDBACK THAT OCCURS BETWEEN STROMATOLITE COMMUNITIES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT. TO BEGIN TO EXAMINE THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN STROMATOLITES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT, IT IS CRITICAL TO CHARACTERIZE THE STROMATOLITE MICROBIOME, HERE DEFINED AS THE COLLECTION OF GENOMES OF THE STROMATOLITE MICROBIAL COMMUNITY. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF MY DISSERTATION IS TO COMPARE THE MICROBIOMES OF STROMATOLITE-FORMING MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES FROM ENVIRONMENTALLY DIVERSE SITES. THE RESULTS WILL IDENTIFY POTENTIAL GENETIC PATHWAYS, METABOLITES AND EXTRINSIC FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE STROMATOLITE FORMATION. MY CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT STROMATOLITES HAVE A UNIQUE MICROBIAL CONSORTIUM THAT DRIVES THE FORMATION OF DISCREET MICROENVIRONMENTS WITHIN THE STROMATOLITE COMMUNITIES, WHICH IN TURN INFLUENCES THE EXTENT OF CARBONATE PRECIPITATION. FOR THIS RESEARCH I WILL TARGET THE HYPERSALINE STROMATOLITES OF HAMELIN POOL, IN SHARK BAY WESTERN AUSTRALIA. HAMELIN POOL IS THE LARGEST MODERN STROMATOLITE ECOSYSTEM IN THE WORLD WITH A SHORELINE OF 135 KM ALMOST ENTIRELY POPULATED WITH STROMATOLITES. ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS, SUCH AS TEMPERATURE, SALINITY, AND WATER DEPTH VARY EXTENSIVELY THROUGHOUT HAMELIN POOL. SPECIFICALLY, I PROPOSE TO: OBJECTIVE 1: COMPARE THE METAGENOMES OF THE THREE-DOMINANT STROMATOLITE-FORMING MAT TYPES FROM HAMELIN POOL, SHARK BAY. CURRENTLY, I HAVE GENERATED NINE METAGENOMIC LIBRARIES TO THE THREE DOMINANT STROMATOLITE-FORMING MAT TYPES. I PROPOSE TO COMPARE THE METAGENOMES TO ELUCIDATE WHETHER THERE IS A FUNCTIONAL GENE SIGNATURE FOR EACH MAT TYPE. OBJECTIVE 2: ELUCIDATE THE METABOLIC PROFILES OF THE THREE-DOMINANT STROMATOLITE-FORMING MAT TYPES FROM HAMELIN POOL, SHARK BAY Other Administrative Action $0 6/27/19