salt mine metagenome Metagenome

We will address the question of how carbon is used in deep subsurface hypersaline microbial communities associated with deep Permian evaporate deposits. Our work involves examining brine seeps present in a UK salt mine (Boulby Mine). Here, we are able to utilize the vast area exposed by the mine roadway network (>1000km) to give us unprecedented access to the deep subsurface. Using this substantial area allows us not only to examine carbon usage in localized areas of the environment, but over extensive regions of the evaporite deposit. Consequently, this project provides a novel opportunity to ask questions about the biogeographical patterns present within a deep subsurface environment. Metagenomic sequencing is a vital to achieving these goals. The two key questions we aim to answer with this sequencing work are therefore:What is the primary source of carbon for microbial communities living in a deep subsurface evaporite? andDo the metabolic and carbon usage capabilities of these microbial communities vary spatially within a deep subsurface evaporite?