How do Archaea Contribute to the Nitrogen Cycle?
Author: Nestor Tuazon
Faculty Supervisor: José R. de la Torre
Department: Biology
This project proposes to investigate the global significance and biochemical mechanisms of nitrogen oxidizing archaea (NOA) in high salt environments. With billions of tons in total biomass, archaea play an integral role in Earth’s nitrogen cycle. Despite this, the metabolic pathways influencing NOA activity is much less researched than their bacterial counterparts. By integrating whole genome sequencing with bioinformatic tools like IMG and BLAST, this research explains the metabolic pathways, and ecological impacts of NOA across different ecosystems. Gene products from orphan genomes of archaea found in high salt environments will be analyzed and compared to known organisms that are also nitrogen oxidizers. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S ribosomal RNA conducted will elucidate on the evolution of these organisms and how this group got the ability to oxidize nitrogen. The hypothesis is that there is great diversity in archaea species that oxidize nitrogen. Outcomes from this research will provide new insights into archaeal nitrogen cycling in terms of its evolution, metabolic pathways, functions, and role in the global ecosystem.