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Mara P, Geller-McGrath D, Suter E, Taylor GT, Pachiadaki MG, Edgcomb VP. Plasmid-Borne Biosynthetic Gene Clusters within a Permanently Stratified Marine Water Column. Microorganisms 2024; 12:929. [PMID: 38792759 PMCID: PMC11123730 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12050929] [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: 03/24/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Plasmids are mobile genetic elements known to carry secondary metabolic genes that affect the fitness and survival of microbes in the environment. Well-studied cases of plasmid-encoded secondary metabolic genes in marine habitats include toxin/antitoxin and antibiotic biosynthesis/resistance genes. Here, we examine metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from the permanently-stratified water column of the Cariaco Basin for integrated plasmids that encode biosynthetic gene clusters of secondary metabolites (smBGCs). We identify 16 plasmid-borne smBGCs in MAGs associated primarily with Planctomycetota and Pseudomonadota that encode terpene-synthesizing genes, and genes for production of ribosomal and non-ribosomal peptides. These identified genes encode for secondary metabolites that are mainly antimicrobial agents, and hence, their uptake via plasmids may increase the competitive advantage of those host taxa that acquire them. The ecological and evolutionary significance of smBGCs carried by prokaryotes in oxygen-depleted water columns is yet to be fully elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paraskevi Mara
- Geology & Geophysics Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA;
| | - David Geller-McGrath
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA; (D.G.-M.); (M.G.P.)
| | - Elizabeth Suter
- Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Science Department, Molloy University, New York, NY 11570, USA;
| | - Gordon T. Taylor
- School of Marine, Atmospheric and Sustainability Sciences, Stony Brook University, New York, NY 11794, USA;
| | - Maria G. Pachiadaki
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA; (D.G.-M.); (M.G.P.)
| | - Virginia P. Edgcomb
- Geology & Geophysics Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA;
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2
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Zhang X, Cui L, Liu S, Li J, Wu Y, Ren Y, Huang X. Seasonal dynamics of bacterial community and co-occurrence with eukaryotic phytoplankton in the Pearl River Estuary. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 192:106193. [PMID: 37832281 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106193] [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: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the taxonomic composition of the bacteria and phytoplankton communities in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) through Illumina sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the 16 S rRNA gene. Furthermore, their relationships as well as recorded environmental variables were explored by co-occurrence networks. Bacterial community composition was different in two size fractions, as well as along the salinity gradient across two seasons. Free-living (FL) communities were dominated by pico-sized Cyanobacteria (Synechococcus CC9902) while Exiguobacterium, Halomonas and Pseudomonas were predominantly associated with particle-associated (PA) lifestyle, and Cyanobium PCC-6307 exhibited seasonal shifts in lifestyles in different seasons. In wet season, bacterial community composition was characterized by abundance of Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes, which were tightly linked with high riverine inflow. While in dry season, Proteobacteria increased in prevalence, especially for Psychrobacter, NOR5/OM60 clade and Pseudomonas, which were thrived in lower water temperature and higher salinity. Moreover, we discovered that differences between PA and FL composition were more significant in the wet season than in the dry season, which may be due to better nutritional conditions of particles (indicated by POC%) in the wet season and then attract more diverse PA populations. Based on the analysis of plastidial 16 S rRNA genes, abundant small-sized mixotrophic phytoplankton (Dinophyceae, Euglenida and Haptophyta) were identified in the PRE. The complexity of co-occurrence network increased from FL to PA fractions in both seasons, which suggested that suspended particles can provide ecological niches for particle-associated colonizers contributing to the maintenance of a more stable community structure. In addition, the majority of phytoplankton species exhibited positive co-occurrences with both other phytoplankton species and bacterial counterparts, indicating the mutual cooperation between phytoplankton assemblages and specific bacterial populations e likely benefited from phytoplankton-derived organic compounds. This study enhances our understanding of the seasonal and spatial dynamics of bacterial communities and their potential relationship with phytoplankton assembly in estuarine waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou, 511458, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, Guangzhou, 510301, China
| | - Lijun Cui
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou, 511458, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, Guangzhou, 510301, China
| | - Songlin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou, 511458, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, Guangzhou, 510301, China
| | - Jinlong Li
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou, 511458, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, Guangzhou, 510301, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yunchao Wu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou, 511458, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, Guangzhou, 510301, China
| | - Yuzheng Ren
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou, 511458, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, Guangzhou, 510301, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaoping Huang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou, 511458, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, Guangzhou, 510301, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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3
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Shao Q, Zhu Z, Zhou C. Alteration in Community Dynamics of Chaetoceros curvisetus and Bacterioplankton Communities in Response to Surfactin Exposure. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2596. [PMID: 37894254 PMCID: PMC10609649 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11102596] [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: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of surfactin is a promising method to mitigate algal blooms. However, little is known about surfactin toxicity to algae and bacterioplankton. Here, we treated Chaetoceros curvisetus, the dominant species of algal blooms in the East China Sea, with 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4 mg/L of surfactin for 96 h to investigate temporal variability. Our results showed that low concentrations of surfactin (<2 mg/L) changed the cell morphology of C. curvisetus, and higher concentrations (>3 mg/L) had lethal effects. Meanwhile, we examined the community dynamics of the free-living (FL, 0.22-5 μm) and particle-attached (PA, >5 μm) bacterioplankton of C. curvisetus in response to different surfactin concentrations and cultivation periods. Both PA and FL bacterioplankton were mainly composed of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes, while FL bacterioplankton were more diverse than PA bacterioplankton. The variations of FL and PA bacterioplankton were significantly constrained by the surfactin concentration. Surfactin changed the lifestyle of some bacterioplankton from FL to PA, which mainly belonged to abundant bacterioplankton. Furthermore, we identified some surfactin-sensitive species/taxa. Our study will help enhance the ability to predict marine microbial responses under the effect of surfactin, providing a research foundation for this new harmful algal bloom mitigation method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianwen Shao
- Ningbo Institute of Oceanography, Ningbo 315832, China;
- Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou 310012, China
| | - Zhujun Zhu
- Ningbo Institute of Oceanography, Ningbo 315832, China;
| | - Chengxu Zhou
- College of Food and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315832, China;
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4
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Cabrol L, Capo E, van Vliet DM, von Meijenfeldt FAB, Bertilsson S, Villanueva L, Sánchez-Andrea I, Björn E, G. Bravo A, Heimburger Boavida LE. Redox gradient shapes the abundance and diversity of mercury-methylating microorganisms along the water column of the Black Sea. mSystems 2023; 8:e0053723. [PMID: 37578240 PMCID: PMC10469668 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00537-23] [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: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In the global context of seawater deoxygenation triggered by climate change and anthropogenic activities, changes in redox gradients impacting biogeochemical transformations of pollutants, such as mercury, become more likely. Being the largest anoxic basin worldwide, with high concentrations of the potent neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg), the Black Sea is an ideal natural laboratory to provide new insights about the link between dissolved oxygen concentration and hgcAB gene-carrying (hgc+) microorganisms involved in the formation of MeHg. We combined geochemical and microbial approaches to assess the effect of vertical redox gradients on abundance, diversity, and metabolic potential of hgc+ microorganisms in the Black Sea water column. The abundance of hgcA genes [congruently estimated by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and metagenomics] correlated with MeHg concentration, both maximal in the upper part of the anoxic water. Besides the predominant Desulfobacterales, hgc+ microorganisms belonged to a unique assemblage of diverse-previously underappreciated-anaerobic fermenters from Anaerolineales, Phycisphaerae (characteristic of the anoxic and sulfidic zone), Kiritimatiellales, and Bacteroidales (characteristic of the suboxic zone). The metabolic versatility of Desulfobacterota differed from strict sulfate reduction in the anoxic water to reduction of various electron acceptors in the suboxic water. Linking microbial activity and contaminant concentration in environmental studies is rare due to the complexity of biological pathways. In this study, we disentangle the role of oxygen in shaping the distribution of Hg-methylating microorganisms consistently with MeHg concentration, and we highlight their taxonomic and metabolic niche partitioning across redox gradients, improving the prediction of the response of marine communities to the expansion of oxygen-deficient zones. IMPORTANCE Methylmercury (MeHg) is a neurotoxin detected at high concentrations in certain marine ecosystems, posing a threat to human health. MeHg production is mainly mediated by hgcAB gene-carrying (hgc+) microorganisms. Oxygen is one of the main factors controlling Hg methylation; however, its effect on the diversity and ecology of hgc+ microorganisms remains unknown. Under the current context of seawater deoxygenation, mercury cycling is expected to be disturbed. Here, we show the strong effect of oxygen gradients on the distribution of potential Hg methylators. In addition, we show for the first time the significant contribution of a unique assemblage of potential fermenters from Anaerolineales, Phycisphaerae, and Kiritimatiellales to Hg methylation, stratified in different redox niches along the Black Sea gradient. Our results considerably expand the known taxonomic diversity and ecological niches prone to the formation of MeHg and contribute to better apprehend the consequences of oxygen depletion in seawater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léa Cabrol
- Aix Marseille University, Univ. Toulon, CNRS, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO) UM 110, Marseille, France
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Eric Capo
- Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography, Institute of Marine Sciences, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Daan M. van Vliet
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
- Wageningen Food and Biobased Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - F. A. Bastiaan von Meijenfeldt
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, the Netherlands
| | - Stefan Bertilsson
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Laura Villanueva
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, the Netherlands
- Faculty of Geosciences, Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Irene Sánchez-Andrea
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Erik Björn
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Andrea G. Bravo
- Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography, Institute of Marine Sciences, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lars-Eric Heimburger Boavida
- Aix Marseille University, Univ. Toulon, CNRS, IRD, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO) UM 110, Marseille, France
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5
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Sun K, Yu M, Zhu XY, Xue CX, Zhang Y, Chen X, Yao P, Chen L, Fu L, Yang Z, Zhang XH. Microbial communities related to the sulfur cycle in the Sansha Yongle Blue Hole. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0114923. [PMID: 37623326 PMCID: PMC10580873 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01149-23] [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: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The Sansha Yongle Blue Hole (SYBH), the deepest blue hole in the world, is an excellent habitat for revealing biogeochemical cycles in the anaerobic environment. However, how sulfur cycling is mediated by microorganisms in the SYBH hasn't been fully understood. In this study, the water layers of the SYBH were divided into oxic zone, hypoxic zone, anoxic zone I and II, and microbial-mediated sulfur cycling in the SYBH was comprehensively interpreted. The 16S rRNA genes/transcripts analyses showed that the microbial community structures associated with the sulfur cycling in each zone had distinctive features. Sulfur-oxidizing bacteria were mostly constituted by Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Campylobacterota, and Chlorobia above the anoxic zone I and sulfate-reducing bacteria were dominated by Desulfobacterota in anoxic zones. Metagenomic analyses showed that the sulfide-oxidation-related gene sqr and genes encoding the Sox system were mainly distributed in the anoxic zone I, while genes related to dissimilatory sulfate reduction and sulfur intermediate metabolite reduction were mainly distributed in the anoxic zone II, indicating different sulfur metabolic processes between these two zones. Moreover, sulfur-metabolism-related genes were identified in 81 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), indicating a high diversity of microbial communities involved in sulfur cycling. Among them, three MAGs from the candidate phyla JdFR-76 and AABM5-125-24 with genes related to dissimilatory sulfate reduction exhibited distinctive metabolic features. Our results showed unique and novel microbial populations in the SYBH sulfur cycle correlated to the sharp redox gradients, revealing complex biogeochemical processes in this extreme environment. IMPORTANCE Oxygen-deficient regions in the global ocean are expanding rapidly and affect the growth, reproduction and ecological processes of marine organisms. The anaerobic water body of about 150 m in the Sansha Yongle Blue Hole (SYBH) provided a suitable environment to study the specific microbial metabolism in anaerobic seawater. Here, we found that the vertical distributions of the total and active communities of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were different in each water layer of the SYBH according to the dissolved oxygen content. Genes related to sulfur metabolism also showed distinct stratification characteristics. Furthermore, we have obtained diverse metagenome-assembled genomes, some of which exhibit special sulfur metabolic characteristics, especially candidate phyla JdFR-76 and AABM5-125-24 were identified as potential novel SRB. The results of this study will promote further understanding of the sulfur cycle in extreme environments, as well as the environmental adaptability of microorganisms in blue holes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Sun
- Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Min Yu
- Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, China
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiao-Yu Zhu
- Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Chun-Xu Xue
- Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Yunhui Zhang
- Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, China
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Xing Chen
- Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Peng Yao
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, China
- Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Lin Chen
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, China
- Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Liang Fu
- Sansha Track Ocean Coral Reef Conservation Research Institute, Sansha, China
| | - Zuosheng Yang
- College of Marine Geosciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiao-Hua Zhang
- Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, China
- Institute of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
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6
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Geller-McGrath D, Mara P, Taylor GT, Suter E, Edgcomb V, Pachiadaki M. Diverse secondary metabolites are expressed in particle-associated and free-living microorganisms of the permanently anoxic Cariaco Basin. Nat Commun 2023; 14:656. [PMID: 36746960 PMCID: PMC9902471 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36026-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Secondary metabolites play essential roles in ecological interactions and nutrient acquisition, and are of interest for their potential uses in medicine and biotechnology. Genome mining for biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) can be used for the discovery of new compounds. Here, we use metagenomics and metatranscriptomics to analyze BGCs in free-living and particle-associated microbial communities through the stratified water column of the Cariaco Basin, Venezuela. We recovered 565 bacterial and archaeal metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) and identified 1154 diverse BGCs. We show that differences in water redox potential and microbial lifestyle (particle-associated vs. free-living) are associated with variations in the predicted composition and production of secondary metabolites. Our results indicate that microbes, including understudied clades such as Planctomycetota, potentially produce a wide range of secondary metabolites in these anoxic/euxinic waters.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paraskevi Mara
- Geology & Geophysics Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Gordon T Taylor
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Elizabeth Suter
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
- Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Studies Department, Molloy College, Rockville Centre, NY, USA
| | - Virginia Edgcomb
- Geology & Geophysics Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA.
| | - Maria Pachiadaki
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA.
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7
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Liu SJ, Xie ZX, Wu PF, Zheng RW, Liu Y, Lin L, Liu HP, Wang DZ. Composition and assembly of the bacterial community in the overlying waters of the coral reef of China's Xisha Islands. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1059262. [PMID: 36590395 PMCID: PMC9797850 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1059262] [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: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Coral reef ecosystems are one of the most diverse and productive habitats on Earth. Microbes in the reef-overlying waters are key players in maintaining this ecosystem through regulating biogeochemical and ecological processes. However, the composition structure and assembly mechanism of microbial community in the reef-overlying waters remain largely unknown. In the present study, the bacterial communities from the overlying waters of atolls and fringing reefs as well as the surface waters of the adjacent open ocean of the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea were investigated using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing combined with a size-fractionation strategy. The results showed that environments of all sampling stations were similar, characterized by an almost complete lack of inorganic nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla, and Synechococcus was most abundant at the genus level in both large fraction (LF; 1.6-200 μm) and small fraction (SF; 0.2-1.6 μm) communities. Only a slight difference in community composition between LF and SF samples was observed. The bacterial communities among the three habitat types showed noticeable differences, and the bacterial composition among the atoll reefs was more varied than that among the fringing reefs. The similarity of bacterial communities significantly declined with the increasing geographic distance, and stochastic processes were more important than deterministic processes in bacterial community assembly. This study sheds lights on the bacterial biodiversity of coral reefs and the importance of stochastic process in structuring bacterial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si-Jia Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Zhang-Xian Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Peng-Fei Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Ru-Wen Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yuan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Lin Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Hai-Peng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean & Earth Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Da-Zhi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, China,*Correspondence: Da-Zhi Wang,
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8
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Microbial Community Structure and Ecological Networks during Simulation of Diatom Sinking. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10030639. [PMID: 35336213 PMCID: PMC8949005 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10030639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial-mediated utilization of particulate organic matter (POM) during its downward transport from the surface to the deep ocean constitutes a critical component of the global ocean carbon cycle. However, it remains unclear as to how high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and low temperature (LT) with the sinking particles affects community structure and network interactions of the particle-attached microorganisms (PAM) and those free-living microorganisms (FLM) in the surrounding water. In this study, we investigated microbial succession and network interactions in experiments simulating POM sinking in the ocean. Diatom-derived 13C- and 12C-labeled POM were used to incubate surface water microbial communities from the East China Sea (ECS) under pressure (temperature) of 0.1 (25 °C), 20 (4 °C), and 40 (4 °C) MPa (megapascal). Our results show that the diversity and species richness of the PAM and FLM communities decreased significantly with HHP and LT. Microbial community analysis indicated an increase in the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes at high pressure (40 MPa), mostly at the expense of Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, and Gracilibacteria at atmospheric pressure. Hydrostatic pressure and temperature affected lifestyle preferences between particle-attached (PA) and free-living (FL) microbes. Ecological network analysis showed that HHP and LT enhanced microbial network interactions and resulted in higher vulnerability to networks of the PAM communities and more resilience of those of the FLM communities. Most interestingly, the PAM communities occupied most of the module hubs of the networks, whereas the FLM communities mainly served as connectors of the modules, suggesting their different ecological roles of the two groups of microbes. These results provided novel insights into how HHP and LT affected microbial community dynamics, ecological networks during POM sinking, and the implications for carbon cycling in the ocean.
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Leng H, Zhao W, Xiao X. Cultivation and metabolic insights of an uncultured clade, Bacteroidetes VC2.1 Bac22 (Candidatus Sulfidibacteriales ord. nov.), from deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:2484-2501. [PMID: 35165999 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Bacteroidetes VC2.1 Bac22 (referred to as VC2.1) is an uncultured clade that is widely distributed in marine ecosystems, including hydrothermal vents, oxygen-minimum zones and other anoxic, sulfide-rich environments. However, the lack of cultured representatives and sequenced genomes of VC2.1 limit our understanding of its physiology, metabolism and ecological functions. Here, we obtained a stable co-culture of VC2.1 with autotrophic microbes by establishing an autotrophy-based enrichment from a hydrothermal vent chimney sample. We recovered a high-quality metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) that belonged to VC2.1. Phylogenetic analyses of both 16S rRNA genes and conserved protein markers suggested that VC2.1 belongs to a novel order in the Bacteroidetes phylum, which we named Candidatus Sulfidibacteriales. The metabolic reconstruction of this MAG indicated that VC2.1 could utilize polysaccharides, protein polymers and fatty acids as well as flexibly obtain energy via NO/N2 O reduction and polysulfide reduction. Our results reveal the ecological potential of this novel Bacteroidetes for complex organic carbons mineralization and N2 O sinks in deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Furthermore, guided by the genome information, we designed a new culture medium in which starch, ammonium and polysulfide were used as the carbon source, nitrogen source and electron acceptor respectively, to isolate VC2.1 successfully.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Leng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,International Center for Deep Life Investigation (IC-DLI), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Weishu Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,International Center for Deep Life Investigation (IC-DLI), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiang Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,International Center for Deep Life Investigation (IC-DLI), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
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10
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Suter EA, Pachiadaki M, Taylor GT, Edgcomb VP. Eukaryotic Parasites Are Integral to a Productive Microbial Food Web in Oxygen-Depleted Waters. Front Microbiol 2022; 12:764605. [PMID: 35069470 PMCID: PMC8770914 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.764605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Oxygen-depleted water columns (ODWCs) host a diverse community of eukaryotic protists that change dramatically in composition over the oxic-anoxic gradient. In the permanently anoxic Cariaco Basin, peaks in eukaryotic diversity occurred in layers where dark microbial activity (chemoautotrophy and heterotrophy) were highest, suggesting a link between prokaryotic activity and trophic associations with protists. Using 18S rRNA gene sequencing, parasites and especially the obligate parasitic clade, Syndiniales, appear to be particularly abundant, suggesting parasitism is an important, but overlooked interaction in ODWC food webs. Syndiniales were also associated with certain prokaryotic groups that are often found in ODWCs, including Marinimicrobia and Marine Group II archaea, evocative of feedbacks between parasitic infection events, release of organic matter, and prokaryotic assimilative activity. In a network analysis that included all three domains of life, bacterial and archaeal taxa were putative bottleneck and hub species, while a large proportion of edges were connected to eukaryotic nodes. Inclusion of parasites resulted in a more complex network with longer path lengths between members. Together, these results suggest that protists, and especially protistan parasites, play an important role in maintaining microbial food web complexity, particularly in ODWCs, where protist diversity and microbial productivity are high, but energy resources are limited relative to euphotic waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Suter
- Biology, Chemistry & Environmental Studies Department, Center for Environmental Research and Coastal Oceans Monitoring, Molloy College, Rockville Centre, NY, United States.,School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Maria Pachiadaki
- Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | - Gordon T Taylor
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Virginia P Edgcomb
- Department of Geology & Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States
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11
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Guo R, Ma X, Zhang J, Liu C, Thu CA, Win TN, Aung NL, Win HS, Naing S, Li H, Zhou F, Wang P. Microbial community structures and important taxa across oxygen gradients in the Andaman Sea and eastern Bay of Bengal epipelagic waters. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1041521. [PMID: 36406446 PMCID: PMC9667114 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1041521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 05/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In oceanic oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), the abundances of aerobic organisms significantly decrease and energy shifts from higher trophic levels to microorganisms, while the microbial communities become critical drivers of marine biogeochemical cycling activities. However, little is known of the microbial ecology of the Andaman Sea and eastern Bay of Bengal (BoB) OMZs. In the present study, a total of 131 samples which from the Andaman Sea and eastern BoB epipelagic waters were analyzed. The microbial community distribution patterns across oxygen gradients, including oxygenic zones (OZs, dissolved oxygen [DO] ≥ 2 mg/L), oxygen limited zones (OLZs, 0.7 mg/L < DO < 2 mg/L), and OMZs (DO ≤ 0.7 mg/L), were investigated. Mantel tests and Spearman's correlation analysis revealed that DO was the most important driver of microbial community structures among several environmental factors. Microbial diversity, richness, and evenness were highest in the OLZs and lowest in the OZs. The microbial community compositions of OZ and OMZ waters were significantly different. Random forest analysis revealed 24 bioindicator taxa that differentiated OZ, OLZ, and OMZ water communities. These bioindicator taxa included Burkholderiaceae, HOC36, SAR11 Clade IV, Thioglobaceae, Nitrospinaceae, SAR86, and UBA10353. Further, co-occurrence network analysis revealed that SAR202, AEGEAN-169, UBA10353, SAR406, and Rhodobacteraceae were keystone taxa among the entire interaction network of the microbial communities. Functional prediction further indicated that the relative abundances of microbial populations involved in nitrogen and sulfur cycling were higher in OMZs. Several microbial taxa, including the Thioglobaceae, Nitrospinaceae, SAR202, SAR406, WPS-2, UBA10353, and Woeseiaceae, may be involved in nitrogen and/or sulfur cycling, while also contributing to oxygen consumption in these waters. This study consequently provides new insights into the microbial community structures and potentially important taxa that contribute to oxygen consumption in the Andaman Sea and eastern BoB OMZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruoyu Guo
- Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China
- Observation and Research Station of Yangtze River Delta Marine Ecosystems, Ministry of Natural Resources, Zhoushan, China
| | - Xiao Ma
- Observation and Research Station of Yangtze River Delta Marine Ecosystems, Ministry of Natural Resources, Zhoushan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jingjing Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chenggang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chit Aung Thu
- Research and Development Section, Department of Fisheries, Naypyidaw, Myanmar
| | - Tun Naing Win
- Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, Ministry of Transport and Communication, Naypyidaw, Myanmar
| | - Nyan Lin Aung
- Environmental Conservation Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, Naypyidaw, Myanmar
| | - Hlaing Swe Win
- National Analytical Laboratory, Department of Research in Innovation, Ministry of Education, Naypyidaw, Myanmar
| | - Sanda Naing
- Port and Harbour Engineering Department, Myanmar Maritime University, Thanlyin, Myanmar
| | - Hongliang Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China
| | - Feng Zhou
- Observation and Research Station of Yangtze River Delta Marine Ecosystems, Ministry of Natural Resources, Zhoushan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Feng Zhou,
| | - Pengbin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China
- Observation and Research Station of Yangtze River Delta Marine Ecosystems, Ministry of Natural Resources, Zhoushan, China
- Pengbin Wang,
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12
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Orita R, Yoshida K, Terazono H, Nagano Y, Goto M, Kimura K, Kobayashi G. Weekly Observations of Estuarine Microbial Assemblages during Summer in the Inner Part of Ariake Bay, Japan; Microbial Water-sediment Coupling in Turbid Shallow Waters. Microbes Environ 2022; 37. [PMID: 35676048 PMCID: PMC9530734 DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.me22015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Estuarine microbial assemblages are altered by a number of environmental factors, and knowledge of these changes is essential for understanding the functions of microbes in estuarine ecosystems. The aims of the present study were to examine the relationship between microbial assemblages in the water column and sediment surface, and to identify the environmental factors that influence the short-term dynamics of microbial assemblages in these two zones in summer in the inner part of Ariake Bay. The microbial assemblage of each sample consisted of a mean of 71.1% operational taxonomic units (OTUs), which commonly occurred in the water column and sediment surface, although their relative composition markedly differed between the two zones. In the water column, spatiotemporal changes in microbial assemblages correlated with several environmental factors, such as the nitrogen content in suspended particles, turbidity, and salinity. On the other hand, temporal changes in the sediment’s microbial assemblages were governed by a single environmental factor, namely, the oxygen reduction potential. These results suggest that the composition of microbial assemblages in the water column and sediment surface differed even in highly turbid brackish waters with high sediment resuspension, and the environmental factors contributing to the change in the assemblage composition also differed between the water column and sediment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Orita
- Faculty of Agriculture, Saga University
| | | | | | - Yukio Nagano
- Analytical Research Center for Experimental Sciences, Saga University
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13
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Diversity Distribution, Driving Factors and Assembly Mechanisms of Free-Living and Particle-Associated Bacterial Communities at a Subtropical Marginal Sea. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9122445. [PMID: 34946047 PMCID: PMC8704526 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9122445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Free-living (FL) and particle-associated (PA) bacterioplankton communities play critical roles in biogeochemical cycles in the ocean. However, their community composition, assembly process and functions in the continental shelf and slope regions are poorly understood. Based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we investigated bacterial communities’ driving factors, assembly processes and functional potentials at a subtropical marginal sea. The bacterioplankton community showed specific distribution patterns with respect to lifestyle (free living vs. particle associated), habitat (slope vs. shelf) and depth (surface vs. DCM and Bottom). Salinity and water temperature were the key factors modulating turnover in the FL community, whereas nitrite, silicate and phosphate were the key factors for the PA community. Model analyses revealed that stochastic processes outweighed deterministic processes and had stronger influences on PA than FL. Homogeneous selection (Hos) was more responsible for the assembly and turnover of FL, while drift and dispersal limitation contributed more to the assembly of PA. Importantly, the primary contributor to Hos in PA was Gammaproteobacteria:Others, whereas that in FL was Cyanobacteria:Bin6. Finally, the PICRUSt2 analysis indicated that the potential metabolisms of carbohydrates, cofactors, amino acids, terpenoids, polyketides, lipids and antibiotic resistance were markedly enriched in PA than FL.
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14
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Chun SJ, Cui Y, Baek SH, Ahn CY, Oh HM. Seasonal succession of microbes in different size-fractions and their modular structures determined by both macro- and micro-environmental filtering in dynamic coastal waters. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 784:147046. [PMID: 33894601 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Microbes interact with each other in response to various environmental changes in coastal marine ecosystems. To explore how the macroenvironment (environmental filtering) and species-engineered microenvironment (niche construction) affect the ecological network of the marine microbiome in the highly dynamic coastal waters of Korea, we analyzed the modular structures of the microbial community and identified microbial interconnections in different size fractions for a year. Fluctuations in the macroenvironment, such as temperature and nutrient concentrations driven by seasonal changes, are the major factors in determining successive microbial modules. Compared to particle-associated (PA) microbes, free-living (FL) microbes seemed to be more affected by macroenvironmental filtering. Modules related to nutrients were further divided into various modules according to different lifestyles. In addition, a large transient discharge of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) in summer also formed a distinct microbial module, which was related to the high ammonia concentration arising from phytoplankton degradation. Microbes belonging to the SAR11, SAR86, and SAR116 clades, Flavobacteriaceae, and MG IIa-L showed repeated interconnections in temperature-related modules, while the SAR202 clade, Marinimicrobia, DEV007 clade, and Arctic97B-4 and Sva0996 marine groups displayed repeated connections in nutrient-related modules. These 'skeleton'-forming microbes created species-engineered microenvironments, further fine-tuning microbial modular structures. Furthermore, they serve as keystone species for module stability by linking interdependent microbial partners within their own modules through universally beneficial metabolic activities. Therefore, they could reinforce the ecological resilience of microbial communities under abiotic and biotic perturbations in dynamic coastal waters. In conclusion, both macro- and micro-environmental filtering were important for determining the seasonal succession of microbial community structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seong-Jun Chun
- LMO Research Team, National Institute of Ecology, 1210 Geumgang-ro, Maseo-myeon, Seocheon 33657, Republic of Korea; Cell Factory Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Yingshun Cui
- Cell Factory Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung Ho Baek
- South Sea Institute, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Geoje 53201, Republic of Korea
| | - Chi-Yong Ahn
- Cell Factory Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea; Department of Environmental Biotechnology, KRIBB School of Biotechnology, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), 217 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hee-Mock Oh
- Cell Factory Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea; Department of Environmental Biotechnology, KRIBB School of Biotechnology, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), 217 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea.
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15
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van Vliet DM, von Meijenfeldt FB, Dutilh BE, Villanueva L, Sinninghe Damsté JS, Stams AJ, Sánchez‐Andrea I. The bacterial sulfur cycle in expanding dysoxic and euxinic marine waters. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:2834-2857. [PMID: 33000514 PMCID: PMC8359478 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Dysoxic marine waters (DMW, < 1 μM oxygen) are currently expanding in volume in the oceans, which has biogeochemical, ecological and societal consequences on a global scale. In these environments, distinct bacteria drive an active sulfur cycle, which has only recently been recognized for open-ocean DMW. This review summarizes the current knowledge on these sulfur-cycling bacteria. Critical bottlenecks and questions for future research are specifically addressed. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are core members of DMW. However, their roles are not entirely clear, and they remain largely uncultured. We found support for their remarkable diversity and taxonomic novelty by mining metagenome-assembled genomes from the Black Sea as model ecosystem. We highlight recent insights into the metabolism of key sulfur-oxidizing SUP05 and Sulfurimonas bacteria, and discuss the probable involvement of uncultivated SAR324 and BS-GSO2 bacteria in sulfur oxidation. Uncultivated Marinimicrobia bacteria with a presumed organoheterotrophic metabolism are abundant in DMW. Like SRB, they may use specific molybdoenzymes to conserve energy from the oxidation, reduction or disproportionation of sulfur cycle intermediates such as S0 and thiosulfate, produced from the oxidation of sulfide. We expect that tailored sampling methods and a renewed focus on cultivation will yield deeper insight into sulfur-cycling bacteria in DMW.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daan M. van Vliet
- Laboratory of MicrobiologyWageningen University and Research, Stippeneng 4, 6708WEWageningenNetherlands
| | | | - Bas E. Dutilh
- Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Science for LifeUtrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CHUtrechtNetherlands
| | - Laura Villanueva
- Department of Marine Microbiology and BiogeochemistryRoyal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Utrecht University, Landsdiep 4, 1797 SZ, 'tHorntje (Texel)Netherlands
| | - Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté
- Department of Marine Microbiology and BiogeochemistryRoyal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Utrecht University, Landsdiep 4, 1797 SZ, 'tHorntje (Texel)Netherlands
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of GeosciencesUtrecht University, Princetonlaan 8A, 3584 CBUtrechtNetherlands
| | - Alfons J.M. Stams
- Laboratory of MicrobiologyWageningen University and Research, Stippeneng 4, 6708WEWageningenNetherlands
- Centre of Biological EngineeringUniversity of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710‐057BragaPortugal
| | - Irene Sánchez‐Andrea
- Laboratory of MicrobiologyWageningen University and Research, Stippeneng 4, 6708WEWageningenNetherlands
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16
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Suominen S, Doorenspleet K, Sinninghe Damsté JS, Villanueva L. Microbial community development on model particles in the deep sulfidic waters of the Black Sea. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:2729-2746. [PMID: 32291864 PMCID: PMC8359284 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Microorganisms attached to particles have been shown to be different from free-living microbes and to display diverse metabolic activities. However, little is known about the ecotypes associated with particles and their substrate preference in anoxic marine waters. Here, we investigate the microbial community colonizing particles in the anoxic and sulfide-rich waters of the Black Sea. We incubated beads coated with different substrates in situ at 1000 and 2000 m depth. After 6 h, the particle-attached microbes were dominated by Gamma- and Alpha-proteobacteria, and groups related to the phyla Latescibacteria, Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes and Firmicutes, with substantial variation across the bead types, indicating that the attaching communities were selected by the substrate. Further laboratory incubations for 7 days suggested the presence of a community of highly specialized taxa. After incubation for 35 days, the microbial composition across all beads and depths was similar and primarily composed of putative sulfur cycling microbes. In addition to the major shared microbial groups, subdominant taxa on chitin and protein-coated beads were detected pointing to specialized microbial degraders. These results highlight the role of particles as sites for attachment and biofilm formation, while the composition of organic matter defined a secondary part of the microbial community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saara Suominen
- Department of Marine Microbiology and BiogeochemistryNIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht UniversityDen BurgThe Netherlands
| | - Karlijn Doorenspleet
- Department of Marine Microbiology and BiogeochemistryNIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht UniversityDen BurgThe Netherlands
| | - Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté
- Department of Marine Microbiology and BiogeochemistryNIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht UniversityDen BurgThe Netherlands
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of GeosciencesUtrecht UniversityUtrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Laura Villanueva
- Department of Marine Microbiology and BiogeochemistryNIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research and Utrecht UniversityDen BurgThe Netherlands
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17
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Small sinking particles control anammox rates in the Peruvian oxygen minimum zone. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3235. [PMID: 34050175 PMCID: PMC8163745 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23340-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Anaerobic oxidation of ammonium (anammox) in oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) is a major pathway of oceanic nitrogen loss. Ammonium released from sinking particles has been suggested to fuel this process. During cruises to the Peruvian OMZ in April–June 2017 we found that anammox rates are strongly correlated with the volume of small particles (128–512 µm), even though anammox bacteria were not directly associated with particles. This suggests that the relationship between anammox rates and particles is related to the ammonium released from particles by remineralization. To investigate this, ammonium release from particles was modelled and theoretical encounters of free-living anammox bacteria with ammonium in the particle boundary layer were calculated. These results indicated that small sinking particles could be responsible for ~75% of ammonium release in anoxic waters and that free-living anammox bacteria frequently encounter ammonium in the vicinity of smaller particles. This indicates a so far underestimated role of abundant, slow-sinking small particles in controlling oceanic nutrient budgets, and furthermore implies that observations of the volume of small particles could be used to estimate N-loss across large areas. Up to 40% of the ocean’s fixed nitrogen is lost in oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) by anammox, but despite the importance of this process, nitrogen loss patterns in OMZs are difficult to predict. Here the authors show that ammonium release from small particles is a major control of anammox in the Peruvian OMZ.
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18
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Cabello-Yeves PJ, Callieri C, Picazo A, Mehrshad M, Haro-Moreno JM, Roda-Garcia JJ, Dzhembekova N, Slabakova V, Slabakova N, Moncheva S, Rodriguez-Valera F. The microbiome of the Black Sea water column analyzed by shotgun and genome centric metagenomics. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2021; 16:5. [PMID: 33902743 PMCID: PMC8067304 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-021-00374-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Black Sea is the largest brackish water body in the world, although it is connected to the Mediterranean Sea and presents an upper water layer similar to some regions of the former, albeit with lower salinity and temperature. Despite its well-known hydrology and physicochemical features, this enormous water mass remains poorly studied at the microbial genomics level. RESULTS We have sampled its different water masses and analyzed the microbiome by shotgun and genome-resolved metagenomics, generating a large number of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from them. We found various similarities with previously described Black Sea metagenomic datasets, that show remarkable stability in its microbiome. Our datasets are also comparable to other marine anoxic water columns like the Cariaco Basin. The oxic zone resembles to standard marine (e.g. Mediterranean) photic zones, with Cyanobacteria (Synechococcus but a conspicuously absent Prochlorococcus), and photoheterotrophs domination (largely again with marine relatives). The chemocline presents very different characteristics from the oxic surface with many examples of chemolithotrophic metabolism (Thioglobus) and facultatively anaerobic microbes. The euxinic anaerobic zone presents, as expected, features in common with the bottom of meromictic lakes with a massive dominance of sulfate reduction as energy-generating metabolism, a few (but detectable) methanogenesis marker genes, and a large number of "dark matter" streamlined genomes of largely unpredictable ecology. CONCLUSIONS The Black Sea oxic zone presents many similarities to the global ocean while the redoxcline and euxinic water masses have similarities to other similar aquatic environments of marine (Cariaco Basin or other Black Sea regions) or freshwater (meromictic monimolimnion strata) origin. The MAG collection represents very well the different types of metabolisms expected in this kind of environment. We are adding critical information about this unique and important ecosystem and its microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro J Cabello-Yeves
- Evolutionary Genomics Group, Departamento de Producción Vegetal y Microbiología, Universidad Miguel, Hernández, San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Cristiana Callieri
- National Research Council (CNR), Institute of Water Research (IRSA), Verbania, Italy
| | - Antonio Picazo
- Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, E-46980, Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Maliheh Mehrshad
- Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lennart Hjelms väg 9, 75651, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jose M Haro-Moreno
- Evolutionary Genomics Group, Departamento de Producción Vegetal y Microbiología, Universidad Miguel, Hernández, San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Juan J Roda-Garcia
- Evolutionary Genomics Group, Departamento de Producción Vegetal y Microbiología, Universidad Miguel, Hernández, San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Nina Dzhembekova
- Institute of Oceanology "Fridtjof Nansen" - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Varna, Bulgaria
| | - Violeta Slabakova
- Institute of Oceanology "Fridtjof Nansen" - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Varna, Bulgaria
| | - Nataliya Slabakova
- Institute of Oceanology "Fridtjof Nansen" - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Varna, Bulgaria
| | - Snejana Moncheva
- Institute of Oceanology "Fridtjof Nansen" - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Varna, Bulgaria
| | - Francisco Rodriguez-Valera
- Evolutionary Genomics Group, Departamento de Producción Vegetal y Microbiología, Universidad Miguel, Hernández, San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain.
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, 141701, Russia.
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19
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Ma K, Ma A, Zheng G, Ren G, Xie F, Zhou H, Yin J, Liang Y, Zhuang X, Zhuang G. Mineralosphere Microbiome Leading to Changed Geochemical Properties of Sedimentary Rocks from Aiqigou Mud Volcano, Northwest China. Microorganisms 2021; 9:560. [PMID: 33803112 PMCID: PMC7998385 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9030560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The properties of rocks can be greatly affected by seepage hydrocarbons in petroleum-related mud volcanoes. Among them, the color of sedimentary rocks can reflect the changes of sedimentary environment and weathering history. However, little is known about the microbial communities and their biogeochemical significance in these environments. In this study, contrasting rock samples were collected from the Aiqigou mud volcano on the southern margin of the Junggar Basin in Northwest China as guided by rock colors indicative of redox conditions. The physicochemical properties and mineral composition are similar under the same redox conditions. For example, the content of chlorite, muscovite, quartz, and total carbon were higher, and the total iron was lower under reduced conditions compared with oxidized environments. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons revealed that different functional microorganisms may exist under different redox conditions; microbes in oxidized conditions have higher diversity. Statistical analysis and incubation experiments indicated that the microbial community structure is closely related to the content of iron which may be an important factor for color stratification of continental sedimentary rocks in the Aiqigou mud volcano. The interactions between organics and iron-bearing minerals mediated by microorganisms have also been hypothesized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Ma
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; (K.M.); (F.X.); (H.Z.); (J.Y.); (Y.L.); (X.Z.)
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101400, China
- Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, Beijing 101400, China
| | - Anzhou Ma
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; (K.M.); (F.X.); (H.Z.); (J.Y.); (Y.L.); (X.Z.)
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Guodong Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China;
| | - Ge Ren
- National Institute of Metrology, Beijing 100029, China;
| | - Fei Xie
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; (K.M.); (F.X.); (H.Z.); (J.Y.); (Y.L.); (X.Z.)
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hanchang Zhou
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; (K.M.); (F.X.); (H.Z.); (J.Y.); (Y.L.); (X.Z.)
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jun Yin
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; (K.M.); (F.X.); (H.Z.); (J.Y.); (Y.L.); (X.Z.)
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yu Liang
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; (K.M.); (F.X.); (H.Z.); (J.Y.); (Y.L.); (X.Z.)
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xuliang Zhuang
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; (K.M.); (F.X.); (H.Z.); (J.Y.); (Y.L.); (X.Z.)
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Guoqiang Zhuang
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; (K.M.); (F.X.); (H.Z.); (J.Y.); (Y.L.); (X.Z.)
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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20
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Suter EA, Pachiadaki MG, Montes E, Edgcomb VP, Scranton MI, Taylor CD, Taylor GT. Diverse nitrogen cycling pathways across a marine oxygen gradient indicate nitrogen loss coupled to chemoautotrophic activity. Environ Microbiol 2020; 23:2747-2764. [PMID: 32761757 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2019] [Revised: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Genetic markers and geochemical assays of microbial nitrogen cycling processes, including autotrophic and heterotrophic denitrification, anammox, ammonia oxidation, and nitrite oxidation, were examined across the oxycline, suboxic, and anoxic zones of the Cariaco Basin, Venezuela. Ammonia and nitrite oxidation genes were expressed through the entire gradient. Transcripts associated with autotrophic and heterotrophic denitrifiers were mostly confined to the suboxic zone and below but were also present in particles in the oxycline. Anammox genes and transcripts were detected over a narrow depth range near the bottom of the suboxic zone and coincided with secondary NO2 - maxima and available NH4 + . Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) amendment incubations and comparisons between our sampling campaigns suggested that denitrifier activity may be closely coupled with NO3 - availability. Expression of denitrification genes at depths of high rates of chemoautotrophic carbon fixation and phylogenetic analyses of nitrogen cycling genes and transcripts indicated a diverse array of denitrifiers, including chemoautotrophs capable of using NO3 - to oxidize reduced sulfur species. Thus, results suggest that the Cariaco Basin nitrogen cycle is influenced by autotrophic carbon cycling in addition to organic matter oxidation and anammox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Suter
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.,Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Studies Department, Center for Environmental Research and Coastal Oceans Monitoring, Molloy College, Rockville Centre, NY, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Wagner College, Staten Island, NY, USA
| | - Maria G Pachiadaki
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA.,Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, USA
| | - Enrique Montes
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
| | | | - Mary I Scranton
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Craig D Taylor
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Gordon T Taylor
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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21
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Viral elements and their potential influence on microbial processes along the permanently stratified Cariaco Basin redoxcline. ISME JOURNAL 2020; 14:3079-3092. [PMID: 32801311 PMCID: PMC7785012 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-00739-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 07/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about viruses in oxygen-deficient water columns (ODWCs). In surface ocean waters, viruses are known to act as gene vectors among susceptible hosts. Some of these genes may have metabolic functions and are thus termed auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs). AMGs introduced to new hosts by viruses can enhance viral replication and/or potentially affect biogeochemical cycles by modulating key microbial pathways. Here we identify 748 viral populations that cluster into 94 genera along a vertical geochemical gradient in the Cariaco Basin, a permanently stratified and euxinic ocean basin. The viral communities in this ODWC appear to be relatively novel as 80 of these viral genera contained no reference viral sequences, likely due to the isolation and unique features of this system. We identify viral elements that encode AMGs implicated in distinctive processes, such as sulfur cycling, acetate fermentation, signal transduction, [Fe–S] formation, and N-glycosylation. These AMG-encoding viruses include two putative Mu-like viruses, and viral-like regions that may constitute degraded prophages that have been modified by transposable elements. Our results provide an insight into the ecological and biogeochemical impact of viruses oxygen-depleted and euxinic habitats.
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22
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Louca S, Astor YM, Doebeli M, Taylor GT, Scranton MI. Microbial metabolite fluxes in a model marine anoxic ecosystem. GEOBIOLOGY 2019; 17:628-642. [PMID: 31496030 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2018] [Revised: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Permanently anoxic regions in the ocean are widespread and exhibit unique microbial metabolic activity exerting substantial influence on global elemental cycles and climate. Reconstructing microbial metabolic activity rates in these regions has been challenging, due to the technical difficulty of direct rate measurements. In Cariaco Basin, which is the largest permanently anoxic marine basin and an important model system for geobiology, long-term monitoring has yielded time series for the concentrations of biologically important compounds; however, the underlying metabolite fluxes remain poorly quantified. Here, we present a computational approach for reconstructing vertical fluxes and in situ net production/consumption rates from chemical concentration data, based on a 1-dimensional time-dependent diffusive transport model that includes adaptive penalization of overfitting. We use this approach to estimate spatiotemporally resolved fluxes of oxygen, nitrate, hydrogen sulfide, ammonium, methane, and phosphate within the sub-euphotic Cariaco Basin water column (depths 150-900 m, years 2001-2014) and to identify hotspots of microbial chemolithotrophic activity. Predictions of the fitted models are in excellent agreement with the data and substantially expand our knowledge of the geobiology in Cariaco Basin. In particular, we find that the diffusivity, and consequently fluxes of major reductants such as hydrogen sulfide, and methane, is about two orders of magnitude greater than previously estimated, thus resolving a long-standing apparent conundrum between electron donor fluxes and measured dark carbon assimilation rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stilianos Louca
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Yrene M Astor
- Estación de Investigaciones Marinas de Margarita, Fundación La Salle de Ciencias Naturales, Punta de Piedras, Venezuela
- Institute for Marine Remote Sensing, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Michael Doebeli
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Gordon T Taylor
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mary I Scranton
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, New York, NY, USA
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23
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Abstract
In the ocean's major oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), oxygen is effectively absent from sea water and life is dominated by microorganisms that use chemicals other than oxygen for respiration. Recent studies that combine advanced genomic and chemical detection methods are delineating the different metabolic niches that microorganisms can occupy in OMZs. Understanding these niches, the microorganisms that inhabit them, and their influence on marine biogeochemical cycles is crucial as OMZs expand with increasing seawater temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Frank J Stewart
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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24
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Muller-Karger FE, Astor YM, Benitez-Nelson CR, Buck KN, Fanning KA, Lorenzoni L, Montes E, Rueda-Roa DT, Scranton MI, Tappa E, Taylor GT, Thunell RC, Troccoli L, Varela R. The Scientific Legacy of the CARIACO Ocean Time-Series Program. ANNUAL REVIEW OF MARINE SCIENCE 2019; 11:413-437. [PMID: 29889611 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-marine-010318-095150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The CARIACO (Carbon Retention in a Colored Ocean) Ocean Time-Series Program station, located at 10.50°N, 64.66°W, observed biogeochemical and ecological processes in the Cariaco Basin of the southwestern Caribbean Sea from November 1995 to January 2017. The program completed 232 monthly core cruises, 40 sediment trap deployment cruises, and 40 microbiogeochemical process cruises. Upwelling along the southern Caribbean Sea occurs from approximately November to August. High biological productivity (320-628 g C m-2 y-1) leads to large vertical fluxes of particulate organic matter, but only approximately 9-10 g C m-2 y-1 fall to the bottom sediments (∼1-3% of primary production). A diverse community of heterotrophic and chemoautotrophic microorganisms, viruses, and protozoa thrives within the oxic-anoxic interface. A decrease in upwelling intensity from approximately 2003 to 2013 and the simultaneous overfishing of sardines in the region led to diminished phytoplankton bloom intensities, increased phytoplankton diversity, and increased zooplankton densities. The deepest waters of the Cariaco Basin exhibited long-term positive trends in temperature, salinity, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, phosphate, methane, and silica. Earthquakes and coastal flooding also resulted in the delivery of sediment to the seafloor. The program's legacy includes climate-quality data from suboxic and anoxic habitats and lasting relationships between international researchers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank E Muller-Karger
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, USA;
| | - Yrene M Astor
- Estación de Investigaciones Marinas de Margarita, Fundación La Salle de Ciencias Naturales, Punta de Piedras, Estado Nueva Esparta, Venezuela
| | - Claudia R Benitez-Nelson
- Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, USA
| | - Kristen N Buck
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, USA;
| | - Kent A Fanning
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, USA;
| | - Laura Lorenzoni
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, USA;
- Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry Program, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC 20546, USA
| | - Enrique Montes
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, USA;
| | - Digna T Rueda-Roa
- College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, USA;
| | - Mary I Scranton
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
| | - Eric Tappa
- Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, USA
| | - Gordon T Taylor
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
| | - Robert C Thunell
- Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, USA
| | - Luis Troccoli
- Instituto de Investigaciones Cientificas, Universidad de Oriente, Boca Del Rio, Estado Nueva Esparta, Venezuela
| | - Ramon Varela
- Estación de Investigaciones Marinas de Margarita, Fundación La Salle de Ciencias Naturales, Punta de Piedras, Estado Nueva Esparta, Venezuela
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25
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Jing H, Zhu W, Liu H, Zheng L, Zhang Y. Particle-Attached and Free-Living Archaeal Communities in the Benthic Boundary Layer of the Mariana Trench. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2821. [PMID: 30519228 PMCID: PMC6258811 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The benthic boundary layer (BBL) is the part of the water column that is situated near to the sediment surface, where active oceanic biogeochemical cycling occurs. Archaea play an important role in mediating this cycling, however, their composition and diversity in the BBL remain largely unknown. We investigated the community composition and abundance of both particle-attached (PA) and free-living (FL) archaea in the BBL on the slopes of the Mariana Trench using Illumina sequencing and quantitative PCR (qPCR), at both the DNA and RNA levels. Our results showed that Thaumarchaeota (>90%) and Woesearchaeota (1–10%) dominated in all the BBL samples, and that the former was composed mainly of Marine Group I (MGI). A clear separation of PA and FL samples was observed, and they showed a high level of similarity to the subsurface sediments and the water column, respectively. No significant differences were detected in the archaeal communities located in the southern and northern slopes of the Mariana Trench, or between the levels of DNA and RNA. However, lower RNA/DNA ratios (estimated by qPCR) were found in the PA samples than in the FL samples, indicating higher transcriptional activities in the FL fractions. A distinct archaeal community structure was found in the middle of the trench when compared with samples collected at the same depth at other stations along the trench slopes. This indicates that a dynamic deep current might affect the distribution of organic matter on the slopes. Our study provides direct information regarding the archaeal communities in the BBL of the Mariana Trench. We suggest that this might promote further exploration of the ecological roles and microbial processes of such communities located in deep-sea ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmei Jing
- CAS Key Lab for Experimental Study Under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Wenda Zhu
- CAS Key Lab for Experimental Study Under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hongbin Liu
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, China
| | - Liping Zheng
- CAS Key Lab for Experimental Study Under Deep-sea Extreme Conditions, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, Institute of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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26
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Park C, Park W. Survival and Energy Producing Strategies of Alkane Degraders Under Extreme Conditions and Their Biotechnological Potential. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:1081. [PMID: 29910779 PMCID: PMC5992423 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2017] [Accepted: 05/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Many petroleum-polluted areas are considered as extreme environments because of co-occurrence of low and high temperatures, high salt, and acidic and anaerobic conditions. Alkanes, which are major constituents of crude oils, can be degraded under extreme conditions, both aerobically and anaerobically by bacteria and archaea of different phyla. Alkane degraders possess exclusive metabolic pathways and survival strategies, which involve the use of protein and RNA chaperones, compatible solutes, biosurfactants, and exopolysaccharide production for self-protection during harsh environmental conditions such as oxidative and osmotic stress, and ionic nutrient-shortage. Recent findings suggest that the thermophilic sulfate-reducing archaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus uses a novel alkylsuccinate synthase for long-chain alkane degradation, and the thermophilic Candidatus Syntrophoarchaeum butanivorans anaerobically oxidizes butane via alkyl-coenzyme M formation. In addition, gene expression data suggest that extremophiles produce energy via the glyoxylate shunt and the Pta-AckA pathway when grown on a diverse range of alkanes under stress conditions. Alkane degraders possess biotechnological potential for bioremediation because of their unusual characteristics. This review will provide genomic and molecular insights on alkane degraders under extreme conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chulwoo Park
- Laboratory of Molecular Environmental Microbiology, Department of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Woojun Park
- Laboratory of Molecular Environmental Microbiology, Department of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
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