Looking through Microbial Data by Young Song

This Tableau project summarizes my four-year Ph.D. project, exploring the key metabolic features of a recently discovered bacterial lineage, Dehalobacteriia. These bacteria are found predominantly in extreme ecosystems lacking oxygen, including the tailings ponds of the Canadian Oil Sand and contaminated aquifers. Some members of this bacteria have been known to degrade dichloromethane (DCM), a chlorinated organic compound used as an industrial solvent. Whether DCM degradation is a common trait in Dehalobacteriia has remained unknown. Furthermore, the broader metabolic repertoire of these bacteria has not been previously investigated. Our study showed that while DCM fermentation is present in only a limited species within Dehalobacteriia, all members of this group possess traits that are indicatives of a lifestyle dependent on the fermentation of scavenged metabolites such as amino acids. Put together, this visualization highlights rare members of bacterial diversity that could have significance in the bioremediation of contaminated terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.