Do climate-active gases sustain bacteria in Australian tropical rainforest soils? (HERNANDEZ_BIO22CDCC)

Primary Supervisor - Dr Marcela Hernandez

Secondary Supervisor - Prof Colin Murrell

Supervisory Team - Dr Chris Greening (Monash, Australia), Dr Falk Hildebrand

Background

Atmospheric trace gases are important drivers of climate change. Some, such as methane (CH₄) have a direct impact on global warming, whereas others, such as carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H₂), have important secondary effects on the atmospheric chemistry that drives climate change. Some soil microorganisms consume these trace gases, removing significant amounts from the atmosphere. This process has not been investigated in tropical ecosystems despite their high biodiversity and elevated trace gas levels. To resolve this, this PhD project will investigate the microbial oxidation of atmospheric trace gases in the Wet Tropics Rainforest, Australia, the oldest continually surviving tropical rainforest worldwide. The student will isolate and characterise H₂- and CO-oxidising bacteria belonging to the Chloroflexi, as well as aiming to isolate the first CH₄-consuming bacteria from the Gemmatimonadotes. Related to the objectives of this CDCC-LDS programme, we will develop methods for measuring real-time atmospheric trace gases that serve to capture information on evolving trends in carbon emissions, climate impacts, and their drivers using cutting-edge techniques. While revealing feedback mechanisms relevant to climate change amid the growing impacts of deforestation and global warming on rainforests, this project will improve the understanding of the productivity, biodiversity, and biogeochemistry of rainforest ecosystems.

The project 

The student will determine how bacteria can oxidise climate-active gases CH₄, CO, and H₂ in tropical rainforests. Soil incubations will be performed, and trace-gases will be measured. The student will be trained in cutting-edge tools for isolation of microbes, whole-genome sequencing, metagenomics, and bioinformatics.

Training

The student will receive training in experimental design and data analyses, and will learn molecular microbial techniques (e.g. DNA sequencing and whole genome sequencing). Specific training will include the cultivation of soil bacteria, whole genome sequencing and (meta)genomic analysis. The student will present their results at lab meetings, departmental seminars, and at national and international conferences.

Person specification

We are looking for a pro-active, highly motivated student willing to join sampling campaigns in Australian rainforest and participate in outreach events. The candidate should have a background in Microbial Sciences (BSc/Masters in Soil Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology, Biogeochemistry, Molecular biology, Bioinformatics or similar).

For more information on the supervisor for this project, please visit the UEA website www.uea.ac.uk 

The start date is 1 October 2022