"TANGO IN THE MAT WORLD" PROJECT RECEIVES NSF SUPPORT

Bopi Biddanda, Sarah Hamsher, and Anthony Weinke at AWRI, along with their colleague Dale Casamatta at University of North Florida (UNF), have received a $280,000 ($190,000 to GVSU and $90,000 to UNF) collaborative research grant from NSF’s Biological Oceanography program for a project entitled, “Tango in the Mat World: Biogeochemistry of diurnal vertical migration in microbial mats of Lake Huron’s sinkholes”. This collaborative project will run through February 2023 and brings together researchers with expertise in biogeochemistry, algal/cyanobacterial biology and molecular ecology, and will provide outstanding research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.

Benthic microbial mats inhabiting Lake Huron’s low-oxygen, high-sulfur submerged sinkholes resemble life on early Earth. These mat worlds are dominated by motile filaments of cyanobacteria, bacteria, and motile diatoms. Recently, we have gathered visual evidence of their active diurnal vertical migration (DVM) in the field. Such a synchronized diurnal “tango” might have been the largest daily mass movement of life during the long Archean and Proterozoic eras, and played a critical role in optimizing photosynthesis, chemosynthesis, carbon burial, and oxygenation. This project will aim to unravel the who, why, and how of microbial DVM through integration of microscopy, cultures, molecular approaches, and process rate measurements in response to changing gradients of light, sulfide and oxygen.

By studying microbial communities that have regular and measurable circadian rhythms in processes that can also be tracked at molecular levels, we will achieve an unprecedented view of the molecular underpinnings of microbial mat biogeochemistry and lay the foundation for future studies aimed at re-defining the role of autotrophic communities in ancient seas and modern ecosystems.

LMC Activities

Bopi Biddanda served on the panel of the Michigan Space Grants Consortium (MSGC) on February 12^th. GVSU brought in 8 fellowships and 8 grants totaling $80,000. Bopi serves as GVSU’s Affiliate Representative to MSGC and is also on their Executive Board.

Charlyn Partridge virtually attended a meeting on February 12^th with representatives from the Gun Lake Tribe, DNR, and USFW to discuss the summer sturgeon work in the Kalamazoo River.

Charlyn Partridge served as a facilitator for the GVSU CLAS Revisioning workshops for both the Statistics department on February 11^th and the History department on February 17^th.

Rick Rediske attended the PFAS Data Repository Group of the Green Science Policy Council on February 3^rd.

Rick Rediske participated in a meeting of the Rockford Community Advisory Group on February 18^th. He led the discussion on the feasibility study for the House Street Dump Site.

Rick Rediske had a meeting with the GVSU Virus Action Team (VAT) Team about the status of the wastewater testing on camps on February 19^th.

Carl Ruetz attended two virtual planning meetings for the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program on February 12^th and February 19^th.

Carl Ruetz is serving on Alexis Neff’s graduate committee.  Carl attended a committee meeting on February 22^nd. Eric Snyder is Alexis’ major advisor.

Meg Sanders, graduate student working with Charlyn Partridge, tied for 3^rd place in GVSU’s 3-Minute Thesis competition hosted by The Graduate School on February 10^th.

Al Steinman participated in a meeting of the International Joint Commission’s Great Lakes Early Warning System work group on February 3^rd.

Al Steinman participated in his monthly call of the RCN steering group on February 4^th to develop the agenda for their March 25-26^th virtual summit.

Al Steinman participated in the virtual National Estuarine Research Reserve Science Collaborative panel on February 9^th-11^th to select which pre-proposals will go on for full proposal development.

Al Steinman participated (virtually) in a Cooperative Institute Great Lakes Research summit on February 23^rd and 24^th addressing Indicators of Great Lakes Health.

Al Steinman attended several meetings of the nutrient and invasive species work groups on which he serves as part of the Great Lakes Advisory Board.

Al Steinman attended Board meetings for Goodwill International of West Michigan, West Michigan Symphony, and Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame. 

Janet Vail and Amanda Syers facilitated the first Michigan Project WET virtual training held on February 1^st and February 4^th.

Janet Vail and Amanda Syers participated in two training sessions for the teachers in the Michigan Resources for Climate and Land Cover Change (MiRCLE) project on February 3^rd and February 17^th. Amanda will be writing lesson plans for that project. 

Janet Vail attended the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Virtual Nature Summit on February 5^th.

Janet Vail attended a meeting of the National Association of Marine Laboratories Education Committee on February 12^th.

Janet Vail and Amanda Syers attended an Environmental and Sustainability Studies instructor meeting on February 19^th.

Janet Vail virtually attended the High School Climate Change Symposium 2021 on February 20^th. 

Sean Woznicki met with United States Geological Survey colleagues on February 4^th regarding their draft manuscript, tentatively titled “Lessons learned from 15 years of monitoring suburban development with watershed-scale green stormwater infrastructure in Clarksburg, Maryland”.

Sean Woznicki met with the ClimateCheck organization on February 5^th to discuss potential collaboration in continental scale fluvial and pluvial flood modeling and climate change.

Sean Woznicki was the featured speaker for the February 17^th session of the Michigan Resources for Climate and Land Cover Change (MiRCLE) project’s teacher training session.

Presentations and Publications

AWRI staff are bolded, undergraduate students are denoted with a single asterisk*, graduate students are denoted with two asterisks**, and post-doc researchers are donated with three asterisks ***.

Publications

Jim McNair is a co-author of an article accepted to the journal Ecosphere:
DeNicola, D., McNair, J. N., and Suh, J. 2021. A stochastic model of epilithic algal succession and patch dynamics in streams. Ecosphere.

Presentations - (Presenter listed first)

Al Steinman gave a guest lecture (virtual) to the Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership on February 2^nd. His presentation was titled “Update on the eutrophication BUI for Muskegon Lake delisting”.

Janet Vail presented a talk on the research vessel W.G. Jackson virtual lab lesson at the Great Lakes Association of Science Ships (GLASS) annual workshop on February 18^th. She is on the planning committee for GLASS. 

Sean Woznicki gave a guest lecture (virtual) for Royal Oak High School Environmental Science class on February 8^th. His presentation was titled “Sustainable agriculture and water resources”.

Grants, Contracts, Awards, and Recognition

Grants & Contracts

Bopi Biddanda (PI) and Sarah Hamsher (Co-PI) received a $190,000 grant from NSF’s Oceanography Program for the “Tango in the mat world: Biogeochemistry of microbial mats in Lake Huron’s sinkholes” for the years 2021-2023.

Nate Dugener, graduate student working with Bopi Biddanda, received a Michigan Space Grant Graduate Fellowship in the amount of $5,000 for his work titled “Out of oxygen: Exploring the causes and consequences of bottom water hypoxia in a Great Lakes estuary using time-series measurements, observations, and modeling."

Ellen Foley, graduate student working with Alan Steinman, received a Michigan Space Grant Graduate Fellowship in the amount of $5,000 for her work titled “Chlorine control of P in Church Lake”.

Maggie Petersen, graduate student working with Charlyn Partridge, received a Michigan Space Grant Graduate Fellowship in the amount of $5,000 for her work titled “Microplastic feeding and sub-lethal effects on Yellow Perch”.

Jon Walt, graduate student working with Sean Woznicki, received the Michigan Space Grant Graduate Fellowship in the amount of $5,000 for his work titled “Mapping the spread of invasive plants in Michigan wetlands”.

Sean Woznicki received a contract from the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council for a project titled “MACC Land Use and Cover Update” in the amount of $16,119.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Al Steinman was selected as a Fellow in the Society for Freshwater Science.

AWRI News and Events

AWRI IN THE NEWS

“Elevating the voice of concerned citizens: A Q&A with Rick Rediske, Grand Valley State University”
IAGLR (International Association for Great Lakes Research) Lake Letter, Winter 2021, page 4
Rick was interviewed regarding his work with the PFAS issue in Rockford, Michigan.

“What to do about our national water crisis?” a book review by Bopi Biddanda.
IAGLR Lake Letter, Winter 2021, page 5
Bopi reviewed the new book by Erin Brockovich titled “Superman’s not coming: our national water crisis and what we the people can do about it”.

“Member Kudos”
IAGLR Lake Letter, Winter 2021, page 8
Bopi Biddanda and Sarah Hamsher were acknowledged for recently receiving a grant in the amount of $190,000 from NSF to explore the diel migration of microbes in Lake Huron’s sinkholes.

“Grad student’s research on addressing teen risk behaviors takes top honors at thesis competition”
GVNext, a publication of Grand Valley State University, February 23, 2021
Meg Sanders, graduate student working with Charlyn Partridge, tied for third place at the 3-Minute Thesis Competition, sponsored by The Graduate School.

LMC EVENTS

There were no events held at the LMC this month.