Descripción del proyecto
Obtención de imágenes tridimensionales de hábitats bacterianos subsuperficiales
Las bacterias que residen bajo la superficie de la tierra desempeñan un papel fundamental en los ciclos biogeoquímicos; también se han empleado para la biorremediación y la gestión de recursos hídricos. El proyecto MicroMix, financiado con fondos europeos, tiene por objeto estudiar el entorno natural y la dinámica comunitaria de las bacterias subsuperficiales. Sus investigadores trabajan con la hipótesis de que la distribución de nutrientes en estos hábitats sigue un patrón caótico en lugar de homogéneo. Han creado un nuevo sistema de biorreactor para obtener imágenes de los paisajes químicos y las colonias bacterianas en medios porosos tridimensionales, como los que se encuentran en el hábitat natural de las bacterias subsuperficiales. Los resultados revelarán aspectos importantes sobre el crecimiento y la colonización de las bacterias en diferentes condiciones.
Objetivo
Subsurface bacteria represent a fundamental, yet poorly known, component of the Earth’s biosphere. These communities are key in biogeochemical cycles and in a range of problems in Environmental and Geosciences, ranging from water resources management and bioremediation, to CO2 sequestration and geothermal energy. Until recently, the opacity of 3D porous media-the natural habitat of subsurface bacteria-had prevented in situ and in vivo imaging of bacterial dynamics in such environments. Recent experimental and theoretical breakthroughs at the host institution have led to the discovery that flows in natural porous media are chaotic in nature. Since chaotic mixing is known to yield and sustain strong chemical gradients at micro-scale, this discovery challenges the assumption of homogeneous nutrient distributions, broadly-used in current models of subsurface microbial processes. The goal of MicroMix is thus to explore the effect of chaotic mixing on bacterial growth and colonization in 3D porous media under positive stimuli (WP1: mixing-limited nutrient resources) and negative stimuli (WP2: antibiotic source, nutrient rerouting by bioclogging). To do so, we will develop a novel bioreactor system, primarily based upon coupling high-resolution Laser Induced Fluorescence and optical index matching, which will allow us to obtain the first joint imaging of chemical landscapes and bacterial colonies in 3D porous media. The project builds upon the combined expertise of the ER in the field of biomicrofluidics, of the supervisor in mixing dynamics, and of the secondment supervisor on biofilm dynamics in porous media. Through a detailed career development plan, a tailored training program and access to key experimental facilities and scientific networks, MicroMix will ensure an efficient re-integration of the ER and place him at the forefront of research on environmental fluid dynamics.
Ámbito científico
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriology
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental scienceshydrology
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesclassical mechanicsfluid mechanicsfluid dynamics
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesmeteorologybiosphera
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physics
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinador
35065 RENNES CEDEX
Francia