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Relaxation of a natural microbial ecosystem to a metabolic steady state

POSTER

Abstract

Ecosystems persist over geological time scales as organisms with complimentary metabolisms mediate nutrient cycles. The dynamics by which these cycles form and are stabilized remain poorly understood. Here we investigate the dynamics by which a natural microbial community, extracted from salt marsh sediment and containing oxygen consuming and oxygen producing microbes, relaxes to a metabolic steady state in a quasi-two-dimensional chamber. Filtered pore water continuously flows through the chamber, refreshing it at a rate of 0.8 1/hr. We measure the two dimensional distribution of oxygen at five minute intervals for several days, and infer the instantaneous rates of oxygen production and consumption. Preliminary results show that the metabolic activity of oxygen-producing and oxygen-consuming microbes relaxes to a steady state along a low dimensional trajectory. In future work, we will regularly extract DNA from the effluent to characterize the community dynamics both in the initial convergence to steady state and in the following days.

Authors

  • Oshani Fernando

    Clark University

  • Kristin Rabosky

    Middle Tennessee State University, University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Swarthmore College, CT Clinical Innovation Center, Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, Bard College, Wright State University, University of Michigan, University of Hawai'i-Manoa, Rice University, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Utah, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Furman University, University of Notre Dame, Theoretical Physics Division, Institute of High Energy Physics, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peng Huanwu Center for Fundamental Theory, University of Science and Technology China, University of Cambridge, University of Kansas, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Planetary Science Institute, Iowa State University, College of Idaho, University of Washington, Bothell, Ottawa Hills High School, Case Western Reserve University, Yale University and Strasbourg Astronomical Observatory, Yale University, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, NOIRLab, Purdue University, Korea Instotute for Advanced Study, Perimeter Institute, Rutgers University, University of Maryland, Juniata College, Columbia University, City University of New York / American Museum of Natural History, Columbia University / American Museum of Natural History, Morehead State University, Hofstra University, Occidental College, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, The Oskar Klein Centre, Department of Astronomy, University of Mississippi, Stanford/KIPAC/SLAC, University of Connecticut, Kansas State University, Vassar College, Penn State, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Department of Physics, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Clark University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Rhodes College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Harvard University, Cornell University, Air Force Research Lab, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433, Air Force Research Lab, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433 & UES, Inc., 4401 Dayton-Xenia Rd, Dayton, OH 45432, Department of Physics, University of Dayton, Dayton Ohio & Air Force Research Lab, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Utah State University, Ramapo College of NJ, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Research Center of Topological Functional Materials and Henan Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials, Henan Univers., Brookhaven National Laboratory, Montclair State University, Weber State University