放线菌(actinobacteria)是一大类具有活跃次级代谢和生态功能的重要微生物资源，其生境分布广泛，具有高度的物种、遗传和功能多样性。将放线菌的物种和遗传多样性与其生态多样性关联起来对资源开发利用十分关键，但也是当前面临的主要挑战。本项目将综合运用系统学、生态学、生物信息学和基因组学技术，解析红壤、深海沉积物、昆虫三种典型生境的放线菌群落结构，认识不同生境放线菌群落的分布特征及与环境因子的关系；建立新的选择性分离培养技术，获得不同生境特有和共有的优势放线菌类群，包括新类群；阐明优势类群的种群多样性、生态生理学特征及资源潜力，并在基因组水平揭示这些特征的遗传基础。研究结果将推动建立放线菌系统学与生态的有机联系，为研究放线菌多样性的形成和放线菌资源的定向收集与开发提供材料和依据。

As an important microbial resource with rich secondary metabolites and ecological functions, actinobacteria are recognized as a large category of prokaryotes with enormous species, genetic and functional diversity. It would be important, and challenging as well, to establish an efficient correlation between genetic and ecological diversities of this group of organisms for an improved exploitation of resources. This study will activate a comprehensive investigation of actinobacterial population structures from three typical habitats, namely red soils, deep sea sediments and insects, by employing an integrated scheme facilitated by new techniques from the fields of systematics, ecology, bioinformatics and genomics. We aim to illustrate the intrinsic impact of ecological and biogeographic factors to the origination and distribution of different actinobacterial populations, and will establish state-of-art selective approaches for reviving typical populations, including novel taxa, with or without habitat preference, which could be the abundant habitants in these three environments. For these abundant organisms, detailed studies based on a whole genome level will be performed to elucidate their population diversity, eco-physiology and commercial potentials. This study will promote to establish a natural linkage between actinobacterial systematics and ecology, and will make a good example for studying the origin and evolution of the modern actinobacterial diversity, as well as contribute to efficient resource bioprospecting scheme with more clear direction.