We have established an NSF supported Microbial Observatory at Zodletone Mountain in western Oklahoma. This is the site of a sulfur and methane bearing spring. Springwater containing high levels of sulfide and methane runs down the site of the mountain creating a microbial mat environment, rich in microbial diversity with a unique group of microbial and geochemical processes. This environment has many similarities to environments that existed during the time period close to 2 billion (2 x 109) years before present. At that time, oxygen was absent from the earth's atmosphere, sulfur transformations were likely more common and methane was more abundant. As such, this ecosystem allows us to better understand the biology and biogeochemistry of the early earth.
We are currently studying the microbial populations of this spring and have discovered a vast diversity of Bacteria and Archaea living there. We are also looking at microbial processes to understand the roles of microorganisms in sulfur and petroleum hydrocarbon metabolism in the spring. In the future microbial isolates will be characterized in order to better understand those processes.
