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Miner KR, Hollis JR, Miller CE, Uckert K, Douglas TA, Cardarelli E, Mackelprang R. Earth to Mars: A Protocol for Characterizing Permafrost in the Context of Climate Change as an Analog for Extraplanetary Exploration. ASTROBIOLOGY 2023; 23:1006-1018. [PMID: 37566539 PMCID: PMC10510695 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2022.0155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Abstract Permafrost is important from an exobiology and climate change perspective. It serves as an analog for extraplanetary exploration, and it threatens to emit globally significant amounts of greenhouse gases as it thaws due to climate change. Viable microbes survive in Earth's permafrost, slowly metabolizing and transforming organic matter through geologic time. Ancient permafrost microbial communities represent a crucial resource for gaining novel insights into survival strategies adopted by extremotolerant organisms in extraplanetary analogs. We present a proof-of-concept study on ∼22 Kya permafrost to determine the potential for coupling Raman and fluorescence biosignature detection technology from the NASA Mars Perseverance rover with microbial community characterization in frozen soils, which could be expanded to other Earth and off-Earth locations. Besides the well-known utility for biosignature detection and identification, our results indicate that spectral mapping of permafrost could be used to rapidly characterize organic carbon characteristics. Coupled with microbial community analyses, this method has the potential to enhance our understanding of carbon degradation and emissions in thawing permafrost. Further, spectroscopy can be accomplished in situ to mitigate sample transport challenges and in assessing and prioritizing frozen soils for further investigation. This method has broad-range applicability to understanding microbial communities and their associations with biosignatures and soil carbon and mineralogic characteristics relevant to climate science and astrobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberley R. Miner
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | - Charles E. Miller
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Kyle Uckert
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | | | - Emily Cardarelli
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
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2
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Moran AL, McLachlan RH, Thurber AR. Sea star wasting syndrome reaches the high Antarctic: Two recent outbreaks in McMurdo Sound. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0282550. [PMID: 37498849 PMCID: PMC10374074 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Sea star wasting syndrome (SSWS) can cause widespread mortality in starfish populations as well as long-lasting changes to benthic community structure and dynamics. SSWS symptoms have been documented in numerous species and locations around the world, but to date there is only one record of SSWS from the Antarctic and this outbreak was associated with volcanically-driven high temperature anomalies. Here we report outbreaks of SSWS-like symptoms that affected ~30% of individuals of Odontaster validus at two different sites in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica in 2019 and 2022. Unlike many SSWS events in other parts of the world, these outbreaks were not associated with anomalously warm temperatures. Instead, we suggest they may have been triggered by high nutrient input events on a local scale. Although the exact cause of these outbreaks is not known, these findings are of great concern because of the keystone role of O. validus and the slow recovery rate of Antarctic benthic ecosystems to environmental stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Moran
- School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Mānoa, Hawaii, United States of America
| | - Rowan H McLachlan
- Department of Microbiology, College of Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Andrew R Thurber
- Department of Microbiology, College of Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
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3
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Chen Y, Dai T, Li N, Li Q, Lyu Y, Di P, Lyu L, Zhang S, Li J. Environmental heterogeneity shapes the C and S cycling-associated microbial community in Haima's cold seeps. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1199853. [PMID: 37502402 PMCID: PMC10370420 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1199853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental heterogeneity in cold seeps is usually reflected by different faunal aggregates. The sediment microbiome, especially the geochemical cycling-associated communities, sustains the ecosystem through chemosynthesis. To date, few studies have paid attention to the structuring and functioning of geochemical cycling-associated communities relating to environmental heterogeneity in different faunal aggregates of cold seeps. In this study, we profiled the microbial community of four faunal aggregates in the Haima cold seep, South China Sea. Through a combination of geochemical and meta-omics approaches, we have found that geochemical variables, such as sulfate and calcium, exhibited a significant variation between different aggregates, indicating changes in the methane flux. Anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME), sulfate-reducing, and sulfide-oxidizing bacteria (SRB and SOB) dominated the microbial community but varied in composition among the four aggregates. The diversity of archaea and bacteria exhibited a strong correlation between sulfate, calcium, and silicate. Interspecies co-exclusion inferred by molecular ecological network analysis increased from non-seep to clam aggregates and peaked at the mussel aggregate. The networked geochemical cycling-associated species showed an obvious aggregate-specific distribution pattern. Notably, hydrocarbon oxidation and sulfate reduction by ANME and SRB produced carbonate and sulfide, driving the alkalization of the sediment environment, which may impact the microbial communities. Collectively, these results highlighted that geofluid and microbial metabolism together resulted in environmental heterogeneity, which shaped the C and S cycling-associated microbial community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Chen
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Tianjiao Dai
- School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing, China
| | - Niu Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Qiqi Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuanjiao Lyu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Pengfei Di
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Lina Lyu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Si Zhang
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Jie Li
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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4
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Cummings S, Ardor Bellucci LM, Seabrook S, Raineault NA, McPhail KL, Thurber AR. Variations and gradients between methane seep and off-seep microbial communities in a submarine canyon system in the Northeast Pacific. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15119. [PMID: 37009161 PMCID: PMC10064993 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Methane seeps are highly abundant marine habitats that contribute sources of chemosynthetic primary production to marine ecosystems. Seeps also factor into the global budget of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Because of these factors, methane seeps influence not only local ocean ecology, but also biogeochemical cycles on a greater scale. Methane seeps host specialized microbial communities that vary significantly based on geography, seep gross morphology, biogeochemistry, and a diversity of other ecological factors including cross-domain species interactions. In this study, we collected sediment cores from six seep and non-seep locations from Grays and Quinault Canyons (46-47°N) off Washington State, USA, as well as one non-seep site off the coast of Oregon, USA (45°N) to quantify the scale of seep influence on biodiversity within marine habitats. These samples were profiled using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Predicted gene functions were generated using the program PICRUSt2, and the community composition and predicted functions were compared among samples. The microbial communities at seeps varied by seep morphology and habitat, whereas the microbial communities at non-seep sites varied by water depth. Microbial community composition and predicted gene function clearly transitioned from on-seep to off-seep in samples collected from transects moving away from seeps, with a clear ecotone and high diversity where methane-fueled habitats transition into the non-seep deep sea. Our work demonstrates the microbial and metabolic sphere of influence that extends outwards from methane seep habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susie Cummings
- Department of Microbiology, College of Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Lila M. Ardor Bellucci
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Sarah Seabrook
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand
| | | | - Kerry L. McPhail
- College of Pharmacy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
| | - Andrew R. Thurber
- Department of Microbiology, College of Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States of America
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5
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Neumann KC, La D, Yoo H, Burkepile DE. Programmable Autonomous Water Samplers (PAWS): An inexpensive, adaptable and robust submersible system for time-integrated water sampling in freshwater and marine ecosystems. HARDWAREX 2023; 13:e00392. [PMID: 36683605 PMCID: PMC9852790 DOI: 10.1016/j.ohx.2022.e00392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Water chemistry conditions in freshwater and marine environments can change rapidly over both space and time. This is especially true in environments that are exposed to anthropogenic impacts such as sedimentation, sewage, runoff and other types of pollution. It is critical in studying these systems that researchers have tools capable of accurately collecting water samples across relevant spatial and temporal scales. Here we present an inexpensive, open-source Programmable Autonomous Water Sampler (PAWS) that is open source, compact, robust, highly adaptable and submersible to 40 m. PAWS utilizes a time-integrated sampling approach by collecting a single sample in a syringe slowly over minutes to days. Once analyzed, data from the sample collected represents and integrated average of water chemistry conditions over time. Due to its adaptability and low cost, PAWS has the potential to improve the spatial and temporal coverage of many freshwater and marine studies.
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6
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Cold Seeps on the Passive Northern U.S. Atlantic Margin Host Globally Representative Members of the Seep Microbiome with Locally Dominant Strains of Archaea. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0046822. [PMID: 35607968 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00468-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Marine cold seeps are natural sites of methane emission and harbor distinct microbial communities capable of oxidizing methane. The majority of known cold seeps are on tectonically active continental margins, but recent discoveries have revealed abundant seeps on passive margins as well, including on the U.S. Atlantic Margin (USAM). We sampled in and around four USAM seeps and combined pore water geochemistry measurements with amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA and mcrA (DNA and RNA) to investigate the microbial communities present, their assembly processes, and how they compare to communities at previously studied sites. We found that the USAM seeps contained communities consistent with the canonical seep microbiome at the class and order levels but differed markedly at the sequence variant level, especially within the anaerobic methanotrophic (ANME) archaea. The ANME populations were highly uneven, with just a few dominant mcrA sequence variants at each seep. Interestingly, the USAM seeps did not form a distinct phylogenetic cluster when compared with other previously described seeps around the world. Consistent with this, we found only a very weak (though statistically significant) distance-decay trend in seep community similarity across a global data set. Ecological assembly indices suggest that the USAM seep communities were assembled primarily deterministically, in contrast to the surrounding nonseep sediments, where stochastic processes dominated. Together, our results suggest that the primary driver of seep microbial community composition is local geochemistry-specifically methane, sulfide, nitrate, acetate, and ammonium concentrations-rather than the geologic context, the composition of nearby seeps, or random events of dispersal. IMPORTANCE Cold seeps are now known to be widespread features of passive continental margins, including the northern U.S. Atlantic Margin (USAM). Methane seepage is expected to intensify at these relatively shallow seeps as bottom waters warm and underlying methane hydrates dissociate. While methanotrophic microbial communities might reduce or prevent methane release, microbial communities on passive margins have rarely been characterized. In this study, we investigated the Bacteria and Archaea at four cold seeps on the northern USAM and found that despite being colocated on the same continental slope, the communities significantly differ by site at the sequence variant level, particularly methane-cycling community members. Differentiation by site was not observed in similarly spaced background sediments, raising interesting questions about the dispersal pathways of cold seep microorganisms. Understanding the genetic makeup of these discrete seafloor ecosystems and how their microbial communities develop will be increasingly important as the climate changes.
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7
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Assessing the Benthic Response to Climate-Driven Methane Hydrate Destabilisation: State of the Art and Future Modelling Perspectives. ENERGIES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/en15093307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Modern observations and geological records suggest that anthropogenic ocean warming could destabilise marine methane hydrate, resulting in methane release from the seafloor to the ocean-atmosphere, and potentially triggering a positive feedback on global temperature. On the decadal to millennial timescales over which hydrate-sourced methane release is hypothesized to occur, several processes consuming methane below and above the seafloor have the potential to slow, reduce or even prevent such release. Yet, the modulating effect of these processes on seafloor methane emissions remains poorly quantified, and the full impact of benthic methane consumption on ocean carbon chemistry is still to be explored. In this review, we document the dynamic interplay between hydrate thermodynamics, benthic transport and biogeochemical reaction processes, that ultimately determines the impact of hydrate destabilisation on seafloor methane emissions and the ocean carbon cycle. Then, we provide an overview of how state-of-the-art numerical models treat such processes and examine their ability to quantify hydrate-sourced methane emissions from the seafloor, as well as their impact on benthic biogeochemical cycling. We discuss the limitations of current models in coupling the dynamic interplay between hydrate thermodynamics and the different reaction and transport processes that control the efficiency of the benthic sink, and highlight their shortcoming in assessing the full implication of methane release on ocean carbon cycling. Finally, we recommend that current Earth system models explicitly account for hydrate driven benthic-pelagic exchange fluxes to capture potential hydrate-carbon cycle-climate feed-backs.
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8
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Sow SLS, Brown MV, Clarke LJ, Bissett A, van de Kamp J, Trull TW, Raes EJ, Seymour JR, Bramucci AR, Ostrowski M, Boyd PW, Deagle BE, Pardo PC, Sloyan BM, Bodrossy L. Biogeography of Southern Ocean prokaryotes: a comparison of the Indian and Pacific sectors. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:2449-2466. [PMID: 35049099 PMCID: PMC9303206 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the Southern Ocean (SO) prokaryote community structure via zero‐radius operational taxonomic unit (zOTU) libraries generated from 16S rRNA gene sequencing of 223 full water column profiles. Samples reveal the prokaryote diversity trend between discrete water masses across multiple depths and latitudes in Indian (71–99°E, summer) and Pacific (170–174°W, autumn‐winter) sectors of the SO. At higher taxonomic levels (phylum‐family) we observed water masses to harbour distinct communities across both sectors, but observed sectorial variations at lower taxonomic levels (genus‐zOTU) and relative abundance shifts for key taxa such as Flavobacteria, SAR324/Marinimicrobia, Nitrosopumilus and Nitrosopelagicus at both epi‐ and bathy‐abyssopelagic water masses. Common surface bacteria were abundant in several deep‐water masses and vice‐versa suggesting connectivity between surface and deep‐water microbial assemblages. Bacteria from same‐sector Antarctic Bottom Water samples showed patchy, high beta‐diversity which did not correlate well with measured environmental parameters or geographical distance. Unconventional depth distribution patterns were observed for key archaeal groups: Crenarchaeota was found across all depths in the water column and persistent high relative abundances of common epipelagic archaeon Nitrosopelagicus was observed in deep‐water masses. Our findings reveal substantial regional variability of SO prokaryote assemblages that we argue should be considered in wide‐scale SO ecosystem microbial modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swan L S Sow
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000, Australia.,Oceans and Atmosphere, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000, Australia
| | - Mark V Brown
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
| | - Laurence J Clarke
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000, Australia.,Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia
| | - Andrew Bissett
- Oceans and Atmosphere, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000, Australia
| | - Jodie van de Kamp
- Oceans and Atmosphere, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000, Australia
| | - Thomas W Trull
- Oceans and Atmosphere, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000, Australia
| | - Eric J Raes
- Oceans and Atmosphere, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000, Australia
| | - Justin R Seymour
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales, 2007, Australia
| | - Anna R Bramucci
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales, 2007, Australia
| | - Martin Ostrowski
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales, 2007, Australia
| | - Philip W Boyd
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000, Australia
| | - Bruce E Deagle
- Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania, 7050, Australia.,National Collections & Marine Infrastructure, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000, Australia
| | - Paula C Pardo
- Oceans and Atmosphere, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000, Australia
| | - Bernadette M Sloyan
- Oceans and Atmosphere, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000, Australia
| | - Levente Bodrossy
- Oceans and Atmosphere, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000, Australia
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9
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Cramm MA, Neves BDM, Manning CCM, Oldenburg TBP, Archambault P, Chakraborty A, Cyr-Parent A, Edinger EN, Jaggi A, Mort A, Tortell P, Hubert CRJ. Characterization of marine microbial communities around an Arctic seabed hydrocarbon seep at Scott Inlet, Baffin Bay. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 762:143961. [PMID: 33373752 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Seabed hydrocarbon seeps present natural laboratories for investigating responses of marine ecosystems to petroleum input. A hydrocarbon seep near Scott Inlet, Baffin Bay, was visited for in situ observations and sampling in the summer of 2018. Video evidence of an active hydrocarbon seep was confirmed by methane and hydrocarbon analysis of the overlying water column, which is 260 m at this site. Elevated methane concentrations in bottom water above and down current from the seep decreased to background seawater levels in the mid-water column >150 m above the seafloor. Seafloor microbial mats morphologically resembling sulfide-oxidizing bacteria surrounded areas of bubble ebullition. Calcareous tube worms, brittle stars, shrimp, sponges, sea stars, sea anemones, sea urchins, small fish and soft corals were observed near the seep, with soft corals showing evidence for hydrocarbon incorporation. Sediment microbial communities included putative methane-oxidizing Methyloprofundus, sulfate-reducing Desulfobulbaceae and sulfide-oxidizing Sulfurovum. A metabolic gene diagnostic for aerobic methanotrophs (pmoA) was detected in the sediment and bottom water above the seep epicentre and up to 5 km away. Both 16S rRNA gene and pmoA amplicon sequencing revealed that pelagic microbial communities oriented along the geologic basement rise associated with methane seepage (running SW to NE) differed from communities in off-axis water up to 5 km away. Relative abundances of aerobic methanotrophs and putative hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria were elevated in the bottom water down current from the seep. Detection of bacterial clades typically associated with hydrocarbon and methane oxidation highlights the importance of Arctic marine microbial communities in mitigating hydrocarbon emissions from natural geologic sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret A Cramm
- Geomicrobiology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada.
| | - Bárbara de Moura Neves
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ecological Sciences Section, 80 East White Hills Road, P.O. Box 5667, St. John's, Newfoundland A1C 5X1, Canada
| | - Cara C M Manning
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Thomas B P Oldenburg
- Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Philippe Archambault
- ArcticNet, Québec Océan, Takuvik Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Anirban Chakraborty
- Geomicrobiology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Annie Cyr-Parent
- Department of Economic Development and Transportation, Government of Nunavut, Building 1104A, Inuksugait Plaza, PO Box 1000, Station 1500, Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0, Canada
| | - Evan N Edinger
- Memorial University of Newfoundland, 230 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John's, Newfoundland A1C 5S7, Canada
| | - Aprami Jaggi
- Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Andrew Mort
- Natural Resources Canada, 3303 33 Street NW, Calgary, Alberta T2L 2A7, Canada
| | - Philippe Tortell
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Casey R J Hubert
- Geomicrobiology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
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10
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Gutt J, Isla E, Xavier JC, Adams BJ, Ahn IY, Cheng CHC, Colesie C, Cummings VJ, di Prisco G, Griffiths H, Hawes I, Hogg I, McIntyre T, Meiners KM, Pearce DA, Peck L, Piepenburg D, Reisinger RR, Saba GK, Schloss IR, Signori CN, Smith CR, Vacchi M, Verde C, Wall DH. Antarctic ecosystems in transition - life between stresses and opportunities. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 96:798-821. [PMID: 33354897 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Important findings from the second decade of the 21st century on the impact of environmental change on biological processes in the Antarctic were synthesised by 26 international experts. Ten key messages emerged that have stakeholder-relevance and/or a high impact for the scientific community. They address (i) altered biogeochemical cycles, (ii) ocean acidification, (iii) climate change hotspots, (iv) unexpected dynamism in seabed-dwelling populations, (v) spatial range shifts, (vi) adaptation and thermal resilience, (vii) sea ice related biological fluctuations, (viii) pollution, (ix) endangered terrestrial endemism and (x) the discovery of unknown habitats. Most Antarctic biotas are exposed to multiple stresses and considered vulnerable to environmental change due to narrow tolerance ranges, rapid change, projected circumpolar impacts, low potential for timely genetic adaptation, and migration barriers. Important ecosystem functions, such as primary production and energy transfer between trophic levels, have already changed, and biodiversity patterns have shifted. A confidence assessment of the degree of 'scientific understanding' revealed an intermediate level for most of the more detailed sub-messages, indicating that process-oriented research has been successful in the past decade. Additional efforts are necessary, however, to achieve the level of robustness in scientific knowledge that is required to inform protection measures of the unique Antarctic terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and their contributions to global biodiversity and ecosystem services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Gutt
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Columbusstr., Bremerhaven, 27568, Germany
| | - Enrique Isla
- Institute of Marine Sciences-CSIC, Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta 37-49, Barcelona, 08003, Spain
| | - José C Xavier
- University of Coimbra, MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Coimbra, Portugal.,British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environmental Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 OET, U.K
| | - Byron J Adams
- Department of Biology and Monte L. Bean Museum, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, U.S.A
| | - In-Young Ahn
- Korea Polar Research Institute, 26 Songdomirae-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 21990, South Korea
| | - C-H Christina Cheng
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, U.S.A
| | - Claudia Colesie
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Alexander Crum Brown Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FF, U.K
| | - Vonda J Cummings
- National Institute of Water and Atmosphere Research Ltd (NIWA), 301 Evans Bay Parade, Greta Point, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Guido di Prisco
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources (IBBR), National Research Council (CNR), Via Pietro Castellino 111, Naples, I-80131, Italy
| | - Huw Griffiths
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environmental Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 OET, U.K
| | - Ian Hawes
- Coastal Marine Field Station, University of Waikato, 58 Cross Road, Tauranga, 3100, New Zealand
| | - Ian Hogg
- School of Science, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand.,Canadian High Antarctic Research Station, Polar Knowledge Canada, PO Box 2150, Cambridge Bay, NU, X0B 0C0, Canada
| | - Trevor McIntyre
- Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Private Bag X6, Florida, 1710, South Africa
| | - Klaus M Meiners
- Australian Antarctic Division, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, and Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, University of Tasmania, 20 Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, TAS, 7004, Australia
| | - David A Pearce
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environmental Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 OET, U.K.,Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University at Newcastle, Northumberland Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, U.K
| | - Lloyd Peck
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environmental Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 OET, U.K
| | - Dieter Piepenburg
- Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Columbusstr., Bremerhaven, 27568, Germany
| | - Ryan R Reisinger
- Centre d'Etudes Biologique de Chizé, UMR 7372 du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-Bois, 79360, France
| | - Grace K Saba
- Center for Ocean Observing Leadership, Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, 71 Dudley Rd., New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, U.S.A
| | - Irene R Schloss
- Instituto Antártico Argentino, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas, Bernardo Houssay 200, Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, CP V9410CAB, Argentina.,Universidad Nacional de Tierra del Fuego, Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, CP V9410CAB, Argentina
| | - Camila N Signori
- Oceanographic Institute, University of São Paulo, Praça do Oceanográfico, 191, São Paulo, CEP: 05508-900, Brazil
| | - Craig R Smith
- Department of Oceanography, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1000 Pope Road, Honolulu, HI, 96822, U.S.A
| | - Marino Vacchi
- Institute for the Study of the Anthropic Impacts and the Sustainability of the Marine Environment (IAS), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via de Marini 6, Genoa, 16149, Italy
| | - Cinzia Verde
- Institute of Biosciences and BioResources (IBBR), National Research Council (CNR), Via Pietro Castellino 111, Naples, I-80131, Italy
| | - Diana H Wall
- Department of Biology and School of Global Environmental Sustainability, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, U.S.A
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11
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Thurber AR, Seabrook S, Welsh RM. Riddles in the cold: Antarctic endemism and microbial succession impact methane cycling in the Southern Ocean. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201134. [PMID: 32693727 PMCID: PMC7423672 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Antarctica is estimated to contain as much as a quarter of earth's marine methane, however we have not discovered an active Antarctic methane seep limiting our understanding of the methane cycle. In 2011, an expansive (70 m × 1 m) microbial mat formed at 10 m water depth in the Ross Sea, Antarctica which we identify here to be a high latitude hydrogen sulfide and methane seep. Through 16S rRNA gene analysis on samples collected 1 year and 5 years after the methane seep formed, we identify the taxa involved in the Antarctic methane cycle and quantify the response rate of the microbial community to a novel input of methane. One year after the seep formed, ANaerobic MEthane oxidizing archaea (ANME), the dominant sink of methane globally, were absent. Five years later, ANME were found to make up to 4% of the microbial community, however the dominant member of this group observed (ANME-1) were unexpected considering the cold temperature (-1.8°C) and high sulfate concentrations (greater than 24 mM) present at this site. Additionally, the microbial community had not yet formed a sufficient filter to mitigate the release of methane from the sediment; methane flux from the sediment was still significant at 3.1 mmol CH4 m-2 d-1. We hypothesize that this 5 year time point represents an early successional stage of the microbiota in response to methane input. This study provides the first report of the evolution of a seep system from a non-seep environment, and reveals that the rate of microbial succession may have an unrealized impact on greenhouse gas emission from marine methane reservoirs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Thurber
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.,Department of Microbiology, College of Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Sarah Seabrook
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Rory M Welsh
- Department of Microbiology, College of Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
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