Charlotte’s Elaine Luo Earns A Grant From The National Science Foundation For Viral Impacts Research At Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents
Charlotte Biological Sciences Professor and Researcher, Dr. Elaine Luo was awarded $699k from NSF for a project to study the “Viral impacts on microbial carbon cycling at deep-sea hydrothermal vents”.
This project aims to identify the diversity, mechanisms, and rates of virus-induced carbon cycling in a deep-sea hydrothermal vent system (Axial Seamount). While chemoautotrophic microbes are known to contribute to these hotspots of primary productivity, the functional role and biogeochemical impacts of viruses that infect them remain critical gaps in our understanding of the dark ocean’s carbon cycle.