1. 0 Microbial Gene Research & Resources Facility (MGRRF) Institute for Molecular & Cellular Therapies (IMCT) Biomolecular & Biomedical Sciences (BBS) Australia is one of 12 megadiverse countries Australia has large numbers of extreme habitats Developing a microbial gene repository of extremophilic microbes from Australian ecosystems is a logical starting point List of Projects on Microbial Diversity Suitable for Metagenomics

2. 1 Microbial Gene Research & Resources Facility (MGRRF) Institute for Molecular & Cellular Therapies (IMCT) Biomolecular & Biomedical Sciences (BBS) 1. Insect Guts- 2. Water- Dam Waste 3. Cultural Foods- 4. Extreme- Subsurface Oil Artesian Hypersaline Australian Ecosystems 1. Rainforest insect microbiology Anaerobic aromatic metabolism 2. Cyanobacterial blooming in dam water 3. Industrial wastewater (wheat) microbiology 4. Microbial enhanced oil recovery & oil souring 5. Microbiology of Hypersaline environments 6. Microbiology of fermented foods of Asia- Pacific 7. Microbiology of the Great Artesian Basin of Australia (GAB) Microbial mats Microbial corrosion of bore casing Microbial Diversity Related Projects

3. 2 Microbial Gene Research & Resources Facility (MGRRF) Institute for Molecular & Cellular Therapies (IMCT) Biomolecular & Biomedical Sciences (BBS)  Brisbane The Great Artesian Basin (GAB) is a unique deep subsurface thermal non-volcanic aquifer Worlds largest underground water reserve (1.7 x 10 6 km 2 = 8.7 x 10 12 m 3 ) 5000 free-flowing bore wells have been drilled thro’ 4 sequential interbeded sedimentary bases of different geological ages– distinct water chemistry. Natural discharge via mound springs (basin edges)

4. 3 Microbial Gene Research & Resources Facility (MGRRF) Institute for Molecular & Cellular Therapies (IMCT) Biomolecular & Biomedical Sciences (BBS) GAB is a “hot bed” for microbial colonisation adaptation of new types of microbes: Heated by the earth’s hot core due to the deep nature of the aquifer- rate of 1 o C/30 m depth < 95 o C at bore source; forms a temperature gradient to ambient along drain runoff channels Aquifer age: 2 million yrs (water) but the sedimentary bases are up to 400 million old pH neutral to 10