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Chen Y, Dong X, Sun Z, Xu C, Zhang X, Qin S, Geng W, Cao H, Zhai B, Li X, Wu N. Potential coupling of microbial methane, nitrogen, and sulphur cycling in the Okinawa Trough cold seep sediments. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0349023. [PMID: 38690913 PMCID: PMC11237511 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03490-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The Okinawa Trough (OT) is a back-arc basin with a wide distribution of active cold seep systems. However, our understanding of the metabolic function of microbial communities in the cold seep sediments of the OT remains limited. In this study, we investigated the vertical profiles of functional genes involved in methane, nitrogen, and sulphur cycling in the cold seep sediments of the OT. Furthermore, we explored the possible coupling mechanisms between these biogeochemical cycles. The study revealed that the majority of genes associated with the nitrogen and sulphur cycles were most abundant in the surface sediment layers. However, only the key genes responsible for sulphur disproportionation (sor), nitrogen fixation (nifDKH), and methane metabolism (mcrABG) were more prevalent within sulfate-methane transition zone (SMTZ). Significant positive correlations (P < 0.05) were observed between functional genes involved in sulphur oxidation, thiosulphate disproportionation with denitrification, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), as well as between AOM/methanogenesis and nitrogen fixation, and between sulphur disproportionation and AOM. A genome of Filomicrobium (class Alphaproteobacteria) has demonstrated potential in chemoautotrophic activities, particularly in coupling DNRA and denitrification with sulphur oxidation. Additionally, the characterized sulfate reducers such as Syntrophobacterales have been found to be capable of utilizing nitrate as an electron acceptor. The predominant methanogenic/methanotrophic groups in the OT sediments were identified as H2-dependent methylotrophic methanogens (Methanomassiliicoccales and Methanofastidiosales) and ANME-1a. This study offered a thorough understanding of microbial ecosystems in the OT cold seep sediments, emphasizing their contribution to nutrient cycling.IMPORTANCEThe Okinawa Trough (OT) is a back-arc basin formed by extension within the continental lithosphere behind the Ryukyu Trench arc system. Cold seeps are widespread in the OT. While some studies have explored microbial communities in OT cold seep sediments, their metabolic potential remains largely unknown. In this study, we used metagenomic analysis to enhance comprehension of the microbial community's role in nutrient cycling and proposed hypotheses on the coupling process and mechanisms involved in biogeochemical cycles. It was revealed that multiple metabolic pathways can be performed by a single organism or microbes that interact with each other to carry out various biogeochemical cycling. This data set provided a genomic road map on microbial nutrient cycling in OT sediment microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Chen
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiyang Dong
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, China
| | - Zhilei Sun
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Cuiling Xu
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Xilin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Shuangshuang Qin
- Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Wei Geng
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Hong Cao
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Bin Zhai
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
| | - Xuecheng Li
- China Offshore Fugro Geosolutions (Shenzhen)Co.Ltd., Shenzhen, China
| | - Nengyou Wu
- Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
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Zhong S, Feng J, Kong J, Huang Y, Chen X, Zhang S. Differences in Bacterial Co-Occurrence Networks and Ecological Niches at the Surface Sediments and Bottom Seawater in the Haima Cold Seep. Microorganisms 2023; 11:3001. [PMID: 38138145 PMCID: PMC10745737 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11123001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Cold seeps are highly productive chemosynthetic ecosystems in the deep-sea environment. Although microbial communities affected by methane seepage have been extensively studied in sediments and seawater, there is a lack of investigation of prokaryotic communities at the surface sediments and bottom seawater. We revealed the effect of methane seepage on co-occurrence networks and ecological niches of prokaryotic communities at the surface sediments and bottom seawater in the Haima cold seep. The results showed that methane seepage could cause the migration of Mn and Ba from the surface sediments to the overlying seawater, altering the elemental distribution at seepage sites (IS) compared with non-seepage sites (NS). Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that methane seepage led to closer distances of bacterial communities between surface sediments and bottom seawater. Co-occurrence networks indicated that methane seepage led to more complex interconnections at the surface sediments and bottom seawater. In summary, methane seepage caused bacterial communities in the surface sediments and bottom seawater to become more abundant and structurally complex. This study provides a comprehensive comparison of microbial profiles at the surface sediments and bottom seawater of cold seeps in the South China Sea (SCS), illustrating the impact of seepage on bacterial community dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song Zhong
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China;
- Research Centre of Ecology & Environment for Coastal Area and Deep Sea, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; (J.K.); (Y.H.); (X.C.); (S.Z.)
| | - Jingchun Feng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Quality Improvement and Ecological Restoration for Watersheds, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China;
- Research Centre of Ecology & Environment for Coastal Area and Deep Sea, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; (J.K.); (Y.H.); (X.C.); (S.Z.)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Jie Kong
- Research Centre of Ecology & Environment for Coastal Area and Deep Sea, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; (J.K.); (Y.H.); (X.C.); (S.Z.)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Yongji Huang
- Research Centre of Ecology & Environment for Coastal Area and Deep Sea, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; (J.K.); (Y.H.); (X.C.); (S.Z.)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Xiao Chen
- Research Centre of Ecology & Environment for Coastal Area and Deep Sea, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; (J.K.); (Y.H.); (X.C.); (S.Z.)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Si Zhang
- Research Centre of Ecology & Environment for Coastal Area and Deep Sea, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; (J.K.); (Y.H.); (X.C.); (S.Z.)
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
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Cheng X, Xiang X, Yun Y, Wang W, Wang H, Bodelier PLE. Archaea and their interactions with bacteria in a karst ecosystem. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1068595. [PMID: 36814573 PMCID: PMC9939782 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1068595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Karst ecosystems are widely distributed around the world, accounting for 15-20% of the global land area. However, knowledge on microbial ecology of these systems does not match with their global importance. To close this knowledge gap, we sampled three niches including weathered rock, sediment, and drip water inside the Heshang Cave and three types of soils overlying the cave (forest soil, farmland soil, and pristine karst soil). All these samples were subjected to high-throughput sequencing of V4-V5 region of 16S rRNA gene and analyzed with multivariate statistical analysis. Overall, archaeal communities were dominated by Thaumarchaeota, whereas Actinobacteria dominated bacterial communities. Thermoplasmata, Nitrosopumilaceae, Aenigmarchaeales, Crossiella, Acidothermus, and Solirubrobacter were the important predictor groups inside the Heshang Cave, which were correlated to NH4 + availability. In contrast, Candidatus Nitrososphaera, Candidatus Nitrocosmicus, Thaumarchaeota Group 1.1c, and Pseudonocardiaceae were the predictors outside the cave, whose distribution was correlated with pH, Ca2+, and NO2 -. Tighter network structures were found in archaeal communities than those of bacteria, whereas the topological properties of bacterial networks were more similar to those of total prokaryotic networks. Both chemolithoautotrophic archaea (Candidatus Methanoperedens and Nitrosopumilaceae) and bacteria (subgroup 7 of Acidobacteria and Rokubacteriales) were the dominant keystone taxa within the co-occurrence networks, potentially playing fundamental roles in obtaining energy under oligotrophic conditions and thus maintaining the stability of the cave ecosystem. To be noted, all the keystone taxa of karst ecosystems were related to nitrogen cycling, which needs further investigation, particularly the role of archaea. The predicted ecological functions in karst soils mainly related to carbohydrate metabolism, biotin metabolism, and synthesis of fatty acid. Our results offer new insights into archaeal ecology, their potential functions, and archaeal interactions with bacteria, which enhance our understanding about the microbial dark matter in the subsurface karst ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China,School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China,Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Xing Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China,College of Life Science, Shangrao Normal University, Shangrao, China
| | - Yuan Yun
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China,College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Weiqi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China,School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Hongmei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China,School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China,*Correspondence: Hongmei Wang, ✉ ; ✉
| | - Paul L. E. Bodelier
- Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, Netherlands
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