The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Mats of psychrophilic thiotrophic bacteria associated with cold seeps of the Barents Sea

Mats of psychrophilic thiotrophic bacteria associated with cold seeps of the Barents Sea
Mats of psychrophilic thiotrophic bacteria associated with cold seeps of the Barents Sea
This study investigated the bacterial diversity associated with microbial mats of polar deep-sea cold seeps. The mats were associated with high upward fluxes of sulfide produced by anaerobic oxidation of methane, and grew at temperatures close to the freezing point of seawater. They ranged from small patches of 0.2–5 m in diameter (gray mats) to extensive fields covering up to 850 m2 of seafloor (white mats) and were formed by diverse sulfide-oxidizing bacteria differing in color and size. Overall, both the dominant mat-forming thiotrophs as well as the associated bacterial communities inhabiting the mats differed in composition for each mat type as determined by microscopy, 16S rRNA gene sequencing and automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis. While the smaller gray mats were associated with a highly diverse composition of sulfide oxidizers, the larger white mats were composed of only 1–2 types of gliding Beggiatoa filaments. Molecular analyses showed that most of the dominant mat-forming sulfide oxidizers were phylogenetically different from, but still closely related to, thiotrophs known from warmer ocean realms. The psychrophilic nature of the polar mat-forming thiotrophs was tested by visual observation of active mats at in situ temperature compared to their warming to >4 °C. The temperature range of mat habitats and the variation of sulfide and oxygen fluxes appear to be the main factors supporting the diversity of mat-forming thiotrophs in cold seeps at continental margins.
1726-4170
2947-2960
Grünke, S.
c3df6223-c80d-485f-ab36-a9283902a1f3
Lichtschlag, Anna
be1568d9-cc63-4f85-bd38-a93dfd7e245f
de Beer, D.
dacf8ca7-27c7-4572-882a-7111159d10cc
Felden, J.
20a6557b-b876-4670-96d7-321d34853029
Salman, V.
0e4c603c-1133-485c-a4d5-44e5b42152c0
Ramette, A.
473fe9dc-6fe0-4a29-a898-25dcd19969b8
Schulz-Vogt, H.N.
705bcc45-8262-424a-9c1d-6b4099d31ca7
Boetius, A.
87e266e8-a5f5-44ae-9a24-21b9a872fb45
Grünke, S.
c3df6223-c80d-485f-ab36-a9283902a1f3
Lichtschlag, Anna
be1568d9-cc63-4f85-bd38-a93dfd7e245f
de Beer, D.
dacf8ca7-27c7-4572-882a-7111159d10cc
Felden, J.
20a6557b-b876-4670-96d7-321d34853029
Salman, V.
0e4c603c-1133-485c-a4d5-44e5b42152c0
Ramette, A.
473fe9dc-6fe0-4a29-a898-25dcd19969b8
Schulz-Vogt, H.N.
705bcc45-8262-424a-9c1d-6b4099d31ca7
Boetius, A.
87e266e8-a5f5-44ae-9a24-21b9a872fb45

Grünke, S., Lichtschlag, Anna, de Beer, D., Felden, J., Salman, V., Ramette, A., Schulz-Vogt, H.N. and Boetius, A. (2012) Mats of psychrophilic thiotrophic bacteria associated with cold seeps of the Barents Sea. Biogeosciences, 9 (8), 2947-2960. (doi:10.5194/bg-9-2947-2012).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This study investigated the bacterial diversity associated with microbial mats of polar deep-sea cold seeps. The mats were associated with high upward fluxes of sulfide produced by anaerobic oxidation of methane, and grew at temperatures close to the freezing point of seawater. They ranged from small patches of 0.2–5 m in diameter (gray mats) to extensive fields covering up to 850 m2 of seafloor (white mats) and were formed by diverse sulfide-oxidizing bacteria differing in color and size. Overall, both the dominant mat-forming thiotrophs as well as the associated bacterial communities inhabiting the mats differed in composition for each mat type as determined by microscopy, 16S rRNA gene sequencing and automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis. While the smaller gray mats were associated with a highly diverse composition of sulfide oxidizers, the larger white mats were composed of only 1–2 types of gliding Beggiatoa filaments. Molecular analyses showed that most of the dominant mat-forming sulfide oxidizers were phylogenetically different from, but still closely related to, thiotrophs known from warmer ocean realms. The psychrophilic nature of the polar mat-forming thiotrophs was tested by visual observation of active mats at in situ temperature compared to their warming to >4 °C. The temperature range of mat habitats and the variation of sulfide and oxygen fluxes appear to be the main factors supporting the diversity of mat-forming thiotrophs in cold seeps at continental margins.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: 2012
Organisations: Marine Geoscience

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 342665
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/342665
ISSN: 1726-4170
PURE UUID: fe23ce86-1498-4db2-8f67-75f4eac09c90

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 12 Sep 2012 09:31
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 11:54

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: S. Grünke
Author: Anna Lichtschlag
Author: D. de Beer
Author: J. Felden
Author: V. Salman
Author: A. Ramette
Author: H.N. Schulz-Vogt
Author: A. Boetius

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×