Molecular fossils, environmental genomics and the natural history of an Australian salt lake. Increasing salinity of lakes is a critical problem for sustainable water supply in Australia. To comprehend the consequences of human-induced salinization, it is crucial to understand salt lakes at their most fundamental level. This project develops pioneering technologies to elucidate the microbial ecology and geochemistry of salt lakes in unprecedented detail. It will open new pathways to unravel how ....Molecular fossils, environmental genomics and the natural history of an Australian salt lake. Increasing salinity of lakes is a critical problem for sustainable water supply in Australia. To comprehend the consequences of human-induced salinization, it is crucial to understand salt lakes at their most fundamental level. This project develops pioneering technologies to elucidate the microbial ecology and geochemistry of salt lakes in unprecedented detail. It will open new pathways to unravel how microbial ecosystems adapt to increasing salinization, and how they reacted to climate fluctuations in the past. Students will gain multidisciplinary skills in environmental genomics, proteomics and geochemistry, a unique combination that will become decisive for understanding and preserving ecosystems on our continent.Read moreRead less
Oxygenating the Earth: using innovative techniques to resolve the timing of the origin of oxygen-producing photosynthesis in cyanobacteria. The early Earth was a hostile place with little oxygen in the atmosphere. Then cyanobacteria ('blue-green algae') invented oxygen-releasing photosynthesis. That profound event affected many fundamental processes, from the course of evolution to the formation of ore deposits. However, estimates of when these bacteria originated are disputed with uncertainties ....Oxygenating the Earth: using innovative techniques to resolve the timing of the origin of oxygen-producing photosynthesis in cyanobacteria. The early Earth was a hostile place with little oxygen in the atmosphere. Then cyanobacteria ('blue-green algae') invented oxygen-releasing photosynthesis. That profound event affected many fundamental processes, from the course of evolution to the formation of ore deposits. However, estimates of when these bacteria originated are disputed with uncertainties of hundreds of millions of years. We will resolve those uncertainties. We have developed new analytical techniques that we will apply to well-preserved 2.7-2.8 billion-year-old rocks in Western Australia. We will couple that approach to the use of the latest genetic techniques to reveal the origins of living cyanobacteria.Read moreRead less
Sulfur Cycling in Toxic Oozes, Microbialites and Petroleum. This project will apply compound specific sulfur isotope analyses to sulfur-rich deposits from extreme environments including sulfidic black oozes (Peel-Harvey estuary); modern microbialites (for example, Shark Bay) and oils/source rocks (established and frontier oil fields). Sulfur isotopic data, integrated with other stable isotopic and molecular data, will greatly assist the study of sulfur biogeochemical cycles and mechanisms of org ....Sulfur Cycling in Toxic Oozes, Microbialites and Petroleum. This project will apply compound specific sulfur isotope analyses to sulfur-rich deposits from extreme environments including sulfidic black oozes (Peel-Harvey estuary); modern microbialites (for example, Shark Bay) and oils/source rocks (established and frontier oil fields). Sulfur isotopic data, integrated with other stable isotopic and molecular data, will greatly assist the study of sulfur biogeochemical cycles and mechanisms of organic sulfurisation at different diagenetic stages or geological ages. The project aims to address national concerns through measuring the respective impact of anthropogenic and natural changes on environments, helping to understand the evolution of life on Earth and contributing to efficient discovery of our natural petroleum systems.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100077
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
Automated preparative gas chromatograph for isolating unique and important organic components for structural identification. The rapid capability to purify and identify significant and important organic compounds, present at low levels within complex mixtures, is fundamental to geochemistry, plant biology, chemistry, and environmental science. This facility's automated gas chromatograph will assist in isolating and purifying new compounds from microbes, plants, humans, animals, and environmental ....Automated preparative gas chromatograph for isolating unique and important organic components for structural identification. The rapid capability to purify and identify significant and important organic compounds, present at low levels within complex mixtures, is fundamental to geochemistry, plant biology, chemistry, and environmental science. This facility's automated gas chromatograph will assist in isolating and purifying new compounds from microbes, plants, humans, animals, and environmental and geological samples.Read moreRead less