陆地热泉作为极端环境的典型代表，其系统下的物质循环和能量流动主要是由高温微生物来驱动。栖热菌类群广泛分布于各类热泉系统中并在热泉生态系统生源元素的生物地球化学循环过程中扮演重要角色，深入研究该类群的时空动态对环境因子的响应及其机制，具有重要的理论意义和应用价值。本项目以云南腾冲典型热泉为研究对象，采用地球化学、分子生态学、生理学、基因组学和统计学等分析技术和手段，研究腾冲热泉生态系统中栖热菌类群丰度和类群结构在时间、空间尺度上的变化规律，纯培养菌株的多样性及生理特性，揭示其类群动态对环境因子变化的响应规律并结合纯培养菌株的生理特性，全基因组信息探索其响应机制。本项目的开展，对认识腾冲高温热泉环境下生源元素的生物地球化学循环过程中微生物所起的作用、微生物种群的形成及其对环境因子的响应适应机制具有重要意义。

Terrestrial hot springs system is one kind of extreme environments and the material circulation as well as energy flowing of the hot spring ecosystem is mainly due to the existed thermophiles. The genus Thermus has been widely distributed in hot spring ecosystem among the world and play important roles in the biogenic element biogeochemical cycle process. The deep understanding of population dynamics of the genus Thermus and its responses to environmental variables is of significance to know of forming and adaptive mechanism of microbial population under high temperature environment and understanding of the biogenic element biogeochemical cycle process in hot springs ecosystem. This project proposes to study the dynamic characters of species abundance and population structure of the genus Thermus along with the environmental variables in Tengchong hot springs and to isolate the Thermus strains and to investigate the physiologic and ecologic functions of those Thermus strains according to an integrated approach including geochemistry, molecular ecology, and microbiology. With statistical analysis, the factors controlling the population dynamics of the genus Thermus in Tengchong hot springs will be evaluated, and the mechanisms for its population dynamics response to environmental variables will be investigated.