Environmental Microbiology Laboratory

Lab Description

The Environmental Microbiology Laboratory is designed as a versatile platform supporting a broad range of tasks related to the study of microorganisms in the environment. The major tools of this facility are designed to be implemented as modules applicable to almost any sample type, with a current emphasis on deep aquifers and the continental subsurface, freshwater lake sediment, and desert springs. A major capability of the laboratory is the culture-free determination of microbial community structure in water, sediment, rock and air samples. A variety of molecular life-detection protocols are available, either directly through the laboratory or partially supported by allied facilities, such as the Nevada Genomics Center. Our major molecular tools (Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-TFLP), and clone library construction) utilize the small subunit of the ribosomal RNA gene (SSU rRNA/ 16S rRNA). In collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, our facility is working to apply high-density 16S rRNA microarrays (containing 500,000 probes capable of detecting 9,381 prokaryotic OTUs) for the exploration of microbial community structure in much greater detail than has previously been possible. The laboratory also employs a variety of cultivation-and functional gene-based techniques for the enrichment and tracking of microorganisms which influence the fate and transport of environmental contaminants including polyacrylamide, nitrate, and possibly radionuclides and endocrine disruptors.