Descrizione del progetto
Imaging tridimensionale degli habitat batterici nel sottosuolo
I batteri presenti al di sotto della superficie terrestre svolgono un ruolo di cruciale importanza nei cicli biogeochimici e vengono inoltre sfruttati per il biorisanamento e la gestione delle risorse idriche. Il progetto MicroMix, finanziato dall’UE, si interessa allo studio dell’ambiente naturale e delle dinamiche comunitarie che caratterizzano i batteri del sottosuolo. I ricercatori stanno lavorando all’ipotesi secondo cui la distribuzione dei nutrienti in questi habitat segue uno schema caotico, senza alcuna omogeneità. Hanno costruito un nuovo sistema di bioreattori per realizzare un’immaginografia dei paesaggi chimici e delle colonie batteriche in mezzi porosi tridimensionali, come quelli che si trovano negli habitat naturali dei batteri presenti nel sottosuolo. I risultati sveleranno importanti aspetti della crescita batterica e della colonizzazione in diverse condizioni.
Obiettivo
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.
Campo scientifico
- 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
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinatore
35065 RENNES CEDEX
Francia