Denise Akob discusses her studies of microbial communities of contaminated and pristine environments using life science and earth science techniques. She discusses how to figure out “who’s there,” how to optimize select natural microbial activities, and her career path into government research.

Julie’s Biggest Takeaways:

Biogeomicrobiology straddles the life science and earth science fields. This is a growing area of research in the academic setting as well as in the private sector, where one can contribute to hydrogeology or bioremediation efforts.  

What happens on the surface when extracting resources like natural gases? Wastewater from hydraulic shale fracking, or fracking, can contaminate microbes. Preliminary data suggests that microbes that thrive in that wastewater can be a fingerprint for surface contamination, and this is one of the areas of active research in Akob’s lab. Additionally, microbes can respond to contaminants to remove that risk and remediate the spills.

One trip to the field can provide samples for years of analysis. From one sample, scientists can conduct:

• Microbiome studies through amplicon sequencing to understand population structures.
• Metagenomics studies to understand functional potential.
• Biochemical studies to understand active metabolic processes.

Akob asks how to make natural microbial degraders happy. For example: acetylene, a triple-bonded carbon compound, can inhibit degradation of chlorinated solvents, a potent groundwater contaminant. By studying the microbes that use acetylene as a primary energy source (acetylenotrophs), this removes this inhibition caused by acetylene and the chlorinated solvent-degraders can increase their activity.  

Akob studies pristine environments to understand natural microbial communities. A cave she studied in Germany was ‘ultra pristine,’ discovered while building a highway. Understanding natural processes, such as the biomineralization promoted during stalagmite and stalactite formation helps scientists imagine how to use tehse processes in other applications.

Links for this Episode:

• Mumford AC et al. Common Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Additives Alter the Structure and Function of Anaerobic Microbial Communities. Applied and Environmetnal Microbiology. 2018.
• Akob DM et al. Acetylenotrophy: a Hidden but Ubiquitous Microbial Metabolism? FEMS Microbial Ecology. 2018.
• Akob DM et al. Detection of Diazotrophy in the Acetylene-Fermenting Anaerobic Pelobacter sp. Strain SFB93. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 2017.
• ASM Article: The Microbial World of Caves
• James J, Gunn AL, and Akob DM. Binning Singletons: Mentoring through Networking at ASM Microbe 2019. mSphere. 2020.
• HOM Tidbit: Scientists Find Ancient Cave Dwelling Resistant Bacteria
• ASM Press: Women in Microbiology