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Stubseid HH, Bjerga A, Haflidason H, Pedersen LER, Pedersen RB. Volcanic evolution of an ultraslow-spreading ridge. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4134. [PMID: 37438364 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39925-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Nearly 30% of ocean crust forms at mid-ocean ridges where the spreading rate is less than 20 mm per year. According to the seafloor spreading paradigm, oceanic crust forms along a narrow axial zone and is transported away from the rift valley. However, because quantitative age data of volcanic eruptions are lacking, constructing geological models for the evolution of ultraslow-spreading crust remains a challenge. In this contribution, we use sediment thicknesses acquired from ~4000 km of sub-bottom profiler data combined with 14C ages from sediment cores to determine the age of the ocean floor of the oblique ultraslow-spreading Mohns Ridge to reveal a systematic pattern of young volcanism outside axial volcanic ridges. Here, we present an age map of the upper lava flows within the rift valley of a mid-ocean ridge and find that nearly half of the rift valley floor has been rejuvenated by volcanic activity during the last 25 Kyr.
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Affiliation(s)
- H H Stubseid
- Center for Deep Sea Research and Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Allégaten 41, N-5007, Bergen, Norway.
| | - A Bjerga
- Center for Deep Sea Research and Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Allégaten 41, N-5007, Bergen, Norway
| | - H Haflidason
- Center for Deep Sea Research and Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Allégaten 41, N-5007, Bergen, Norway
| | - L E R Pedersen
- Center for Deep Sea Research and Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Allégaten 41, N-5007, Bergen, Norway
| | - R B Pedersen
- Center for Deep Sea Research and Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Allégaten 41, N-5007, Bergen, Norway
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2
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Yanagawa K, Ijiri A, Breuker A, Sakai S, Miyoshi Y, Kawagucci S, Noguchi T, Hirai M, Schippers A, Ishibashi JI, Takaki Y, Sunamura M, Urabe T, Nunoura T, Takai K. Defining boundaries for the distribution of microbial communities beneath the sediment-buried, hydrothermally active seafloor. THE ISME JOURNAL 2017; 11:529-542. [PMID: 27754478 PMCID: PMC5270560 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2016.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2016] [Revised: 07/26/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Subseafloor microbes beneath active hydrothermal vents are thought to live near the upper temperature limit for life on Earth. We drilled and cored the Iheya North hydrothermal field in the Mid-Okinawa Trough, and examined the phylogenetic compositions and the products of metabolic functions of sub-vent microbial communities. We detected microbial cells, metabolic activities and molecular signatures only in the shallow sediments down to 15.8 m below the seafloor at a moderately distant drilling site from the active hydrothermal vents (450 m). At the drilling site, the profiles of methane and sulfate concentrations and the δ13C and δD isotopic compositions of methane suggested the laterally flowing hydrothermal fluids and the in situ microbial anaerobic methane oxidation. In situ measurements during the drilling constrain the current bottom temperature of the microbially habitable zone to ~45 °C. However, in the past, higher temperatures of 106-198 °C were possible at the depth, as estimated from geochemical thermometry on hydrothermally altered clay minerals. The 16S rRNA gene phylotypes found in the deepest habitable zone are related to those of thermophiles, although sequences typical of known hyperthermophilic microbes were absent from the entire core. Overall our results shed new light on the distribution and composition of the boundary microbial community close to the high-temperature limit for habitability in the subseafloor environment of a hydrothermal field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katsunori Yanagawa
- Department of Subsurface Geobiological Analysis and Research (D-SUGAR), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Akira Ijiri
- Geomicrobiology Group, Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Kochi, Japan
| | - Anja Breuker
- Geomicrobiology, Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Hannover, Germany
| | - Sanae Sakai
- Department of Subsurface Geobiological Analysis and Research (D-SUGAR), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Youko Miyoshi
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Kawagucci
- Department of Subsurface Geobiological Analysis and Research (D-SUGAR), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Takuroh Noguchi
- Interdisciplinary Science Unit, Multidisciplinary Science Cluster, Research and Education Faculty, Kochi University, Kochi, Japan
| | - Miho Hirai
- Marine Functional Biology Group, Research and Development Center for Marine Biosciences, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Axel Schippers
- Geomicrobiology, Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), Hannover, Germany
| | - Jun-ichiro Ishibashi
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Takaki
- Department of Subsurface Geobiological Analysis and Research (D-SUGAR), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Michinari Sunamura
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tetsuro Urabe
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuro Nunoura
- Marine Functional Biology Group, Research and Development Center for Marine Biosciences, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
| | - Ken Takai
- Department of Subsurface Geobiological Analysis and Research (D-SUGAR), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Japan
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3
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Hamling IJ, Hreinsdóttir S, Bannister S, Palmer N. Off-axis magmatism along a subaerial back-arc rift: Observations from the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2016; 2:e1600288. [PMID: 27386580 PMCID: PMC4928910 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1600288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Continental rifting and seafloor spreading play a fundamental role in the generation of new crust. However, the distribution of magma and its relationship with tectonics and volcanism remain poorly understood, particularly in back-arc settings. We show evidence for a large, long-lived, off-axis magmatic intrusion located on the margin of the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand. Geodetic data acquired since the 1950s show evidence for uplift outside of the region of active extension, consistent with the inflation of a magmatic body at a depth of ~9.5 km. Satellite radar interferometry and Global Positioning System data suggest that there was an increase in the inflation rate from 2003 to 2011, which correlates with intense earthquake activity in the region. Our results suggest that the continued growth of a large magmatic body may represent the birth of a new magma chamber on the margins of a back-arc rift system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian J. Hamling
- GNS Science, 1 Fairway Drive, Avalon, Lower Hutt 5010, New Zealand
| | | | | | - Neville Palmer
- GNS Science, 1 Fairway Drive, Avalon, Lower Hutt 5010, New Zealand
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4
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Gulmann LK, Beaulieu SE, Shank TM, Ding K, Seyfried WE, Sievert SM. Bacterial diversity and successional patterns during biofilm formation on freshly exposed basalt surfaces at diffuse-flow deep-sea vents. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:901. [PMID: 26441852 PMCID: PMC4564720 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2015] [Accepted: 08/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Many deep-sea hydrothermal vent systems are regularly impacted by volcanic eruptions, leaving fresh basalt where abundant animal and microbial communities once thrived. After an eruption, microbial biofilms are often the first visible evidence of biotic re-colonization. The present study is the first to investigate microbial colonization of newly exposed basalt surfaces in the context of vent fluid chemistry over an extended period of time (4-293 days) by deploying basalt blocks within an established diffuse-flow vent at the 9°50' N vent field on the East Pacific Rise. Additionally, samples obtained after a recent eruption at the same vent field allowed for comparison between experimental results and those from natural microbial re-colonization. Over 9 months, the community changed from being composed almost exclusively of Epsilonproteobacteria to a more diverse assemblage, corresponding with a potential expansion of metabolic capabilities. The process of biofilm formation appears to generate similar surface-associated communities within and across sites by selecting for a subset of fluid-associated microbes, via species sorting. Furthermore, the high incidence of shared operational taxonomic units over time and across different vent sites suggests that the microbial communities colonizing new surfaces at diffuse-flow vent sites might follow a predictable successional pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara K Gulmann
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA, USA
| | - Stace E Beaulieu
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA, USA
| | - Timothy M Shank
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA, USA
| | - Kang Ding
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN, USA
| | - William E Seyfried
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis MN, USA
| | - Stefan M Sievert
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA, USA
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5
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Wilcock WSD, Stafford KM, Andrew RK, Odom RI. Sounds in the ocean at 1-100 Hz. ANNUAL REVIEW OF MARINE SCIENCE 2014; 6:117-40. [PMID: 23876176 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-marine-121211-172423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Very-low-frequency sounds between 1 and 100 Hz propagate large distances in the ocean sound channel. Weather conditions, earthquakes, marine mammals, and anthropogenic activities influence sound levels in this band. Weather-related sounds result from interactions between waves, bubbles entrained by breaking waves, and the deformation of sea ice. Earthquakes generate sound in geologically active regions, and earthquake T waves propagate throughout the oceans. Blue and fin whales generate long bouts of sounds near 20 Hz that can dominate regional ambient noise levels seasonally. Anthropogenic sound sources include ship propellers, energy extraction, and seismic air guns and have been growing steadily. The increasing availability of long-term records of ocean sound will provide new opportunities for a deeper understanding of natural and anthropogenic sound sources and potential interactions between them.
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Affiliation(s)
- William S D Wilcock
- School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195;
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6
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Lowell RP, Germanovich LN. Hydrothermal Processes at Mid-Ocean Ridges: Results from Scale Analysis and Single-Pass Models. MID-OCEAN RIDGES 2013. [DOI: 10.1029/148gm09] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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7
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Fornari D, Tivey M, Schouten H, Perfit M, Yoerger D, Bradley A, Edwards M, Haymon R, Scheirer D, Von Damm K, Shank T, Soule A. Submarine Lava Flow Emplacement at the East Pacific Rise 9°50´N: Implications for Uppermost Ocean Crust Stratigraphy and Hydrothermal Fluid Circulation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.1029/148gm08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
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8
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Huber JA, Butterfield DA, Baross JA. Bacterial diversity in a subseafloor habitat following a deep-sea volcanic eruption. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2012; 43:393-409. [PMID: 19719671 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2003.tb01080.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract The bacterial diversity in a diffuse flow hydrothermal vent habitat at Axial Volcano, Juan de Fuca Ridge was examined shortly after an eruptive event in 1998 and again in 1999 and 2000 using PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses. While considerable overlap with deep-sea background seawater was found within the alpha- and gamma-proteobacteria, unique subseafloor phylotypes were distinguishable. These included diverse members of the epsilon-proteobacteria, high temperature groups such as Desulfurobacterium, Gram-positive bacteria, and members of novel candidate divisions WS6 and ABY1. Phylotype richness was highest in the particle-attached populations from all three sampling periods, and diversity appeared to increase over that time, particularly among the epsilon-proteobacteria. A preliminary model of the subseafloor is presented that relates microbial diversity to temperature, chemical characteristics of diffuse flow fluids and the degree of mixing with seawater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Huber
- School of Oceanography and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Box 357940, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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9
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Schumann D, Hartman H, Eberl DD, Sears SK, Hesse R, Vali H. Formation of replicating saponite from a gel in the presence of oxalate: implications for the formation of clay minerals in carbonaceous chondrites and the origin of life. ASTROBIOLOGY 2012; 12:549-561. [PMID: 22794298 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2011.0635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The potential role of clay minerals in the abiotic origin of life has been the subject of ongoing debate for the past several decades. At issue are the clay minerals found in a class of meteorites known as carbonaceous chondrites. These clay minerals are the product of aqueous alteration of anhydrous mineral phases, such as olivine and orthopyroxene, that are often present in the chondrules. Moreover, there is a strong correlation in the occurrence of clay minerals and the presence of polar organic molecules. It has been shown in laboratory experiments at low temperature and ambient pressure that polar organic molecules, such as the oxalate found in meteorites, can catalyze the crystallization of clay minerals. In this study, we show that oxalate is a robust catalyst in the crystallization of saponite, an Al- and Mg-rich, trioctahedral 2:1 layer silicate, from a silicate gel at 60°C and ambient pressure. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis of the saponite treated with octadecylammonium (n(C)=18) cations revealed the presence of 2:1 layer structures that have variable interlayer charge. The crystallization of these differently charged 2:1 layer silicates most likely occurred independently. The fact that 2:1 layer silicates with variable charge formed in the same gel has implications for our understanding of the origin of life, as these 2:1 clay minerals most likely replicate by a mechanism of template-catalyzed polymerization and transmit the charge distribution from layer to layer. If polar organic molecules like oxalate can catalyze the formation of clay-mineral crystals, which in turn promote clay microenvironments and provide abundant adsorption sites for other organic molecules present in solution, the interaction among these adsorbed molecules could lead to the polymerization of more complex organic molecules like RNA from nucleotides on early Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Schumann
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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10
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Orcutt BN, Sylvan JB, Knab NJ, Edwards KJ. Microbial ecology of the dark ocean above, at, and below the seafloor. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2011; 75:361-422. [PMID: 21646433 PMCID: PMC3122624 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00039-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 324] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The majority of life on Earth--notably, microbial life--occurs in places that do not receive sunlight, with the habitats of the oceans being the largest of these reservoirs. Sunlight penetrates only a few tens to hundreds of meters into the ocean, resulting in large-scale microbial ecosystems that function in the dark. Our knowledge of microbial processes in the dark ocean-the aphotic pelagic ocean, sediments, oceanic crust, hydrothermal vents, etc.-has increased substantially in recent decades. Studies that try to decipher the activity of microorganisms in the dark ocean, where we cannot easily observe them, are yielding paradigm-shifting discoveries that are fundamentally changing our understanding of the role of the dark ocean in the global Earth system and its biogeochemical cycles. New generations of researchers and experimental tools have emerged, in the last decade in particular, owing to dedicated research programs to explore the dark ocean biosphere. This review focuses on our current understanding of microbiology in the dark ocean, outlining salient features of various habitats and discussing known and still unexplored types of microbial metabolism and their consequences in global biogeochemical cycling. We also focus on patterns of microbial diversity in the dark ocean and on processes and communities that are characteristic of the different habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth N. Orcutt
- Center for Geomicrobiology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
- Marine Environmental Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089
| | - Jason B. Sylvan
- Marine Environmental Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089
| | - Nina J. Knab
- Marine Environmental Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089
| | - Katrina J. Edwards
- Marine Environmental Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089
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11
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Germanovich LN, Lowell RP, Ramondenc P. Magmatic origin of hydrothermal response to earthquake swarms: Constraints from heat flow and geochemical data. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1029/2009jb006588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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12
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Abstract
The rocks and sediments of the oceanic subsurface represent a diverse mosaic of environments potentially inhabited by microorganisms. Understanding microbial ecosystems in subseafloor environments confounds standard ecological descriptions in part because we have difficulty elucidating and describing the scale of relevant processes. Habitat characteristics impact microbial activities and growth, which in turn affect microbial diversity, net production, and global biogeochemical cycles. Herein we provide descriptions of subseafloor microbial provinces, broadly defined as geologically and geographically coherent regions of the subseafloor that may serve as potential microbial habitats. The purpose of this review is to summarize and refine criteria for the definition and delineation of distinct subseafloor microbial habitats to aid in their exploration. This review and the criteria we outline aim to develop a unified framework to improve our understanding of subseafloor microbial ecology, enable quantification of geomicrobial processes, and facilitate their accurate assimilation into biogeochemical models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew O Schrenk
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Howell Science Complex, Greenville, North Carolina 27858, USA.
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13
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Larson BI, Lilley MD, Olson EJ. Parameters of subsurface brines and hydrothermal processes 12-15 months after the 1999 magmatic event at the Main Endeavor Field as inferred from in situ time series measurements of chloride and temperature. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [DOI: 10.1029/2008jb005627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- B. I. Larson
- School of Oceanography; University of Washington; Seattle Washington USA
| | - M. D. Lilley
- School of Oceanography; University of Washington; Seattle Washington USA
| | - E. J. Olson
- School of Oceanography; University of Washington; Seattle Washington USA
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14
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Martin W, Baross J, Kelley D, Russell MJ. Hydrothermal vents and the origin of life. Nat Rev Microbiol 2008; 6:805-14. [PMID: 18820700 DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro1991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 620] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Submarine hydrothermal vents are geochemically reactive habitats that harbour rich microbial communities. There are striking parallels between the chemistry of the H(2)-CO(2) redox couple that is present in hydrothermal systems and the core energy metabolic reactions of some modern prokaryotic autotrophs. The biochemistry of these autotrophs might, in turn, harbour clues about the kinds of reactions that initiated the chemistry of life. Hydrothermal vents thus unite microbiology and geology to breathe new life into research into one of biology's most important questions - what is the origin of life?
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Affiliation(s)
- William Martin
- Institut für Botanik III, Heinrich-Heine Universität Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
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15
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Furnes H, McLoughlin N, Muehlenbachs K, Banerjee N, Staudigel H, Dilek Y, Wit MD, Kranendonk M, Schiffman P. Oceanic Pillow Lavas and Hyaloclastites as Habitats for Microbial Life Through Time – A Review. MODERN APPROACHES IN SOLID EARTH SCIENCES 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4020-8306-8_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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16
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Emerson D, Rentz JA, Lilburn TG, Davis RE, Aldrich H, Chan C, Moyer CL. A novel lineage of proteobacteria involved in formation of marine Fe-oxidizing microbial mat communities. PLoS One 2007; 2:e667. [PMID: 17668050 PMCID: PMC1930151 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 212] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2007] [Accepted: 06/25/2007] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND For decades it has been recognized that neutrophilic Fe-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) are associated with hydrothermal venting of Fe(II)-rich fluids associated with seamounts in the world's oceans. The evidence was based almost entirely on the mineralogical remains of the microbes, which themselves had neither been brought into culture or been assigned to a specific phylogenetic clade. We have used both cultivation and cultivation-independent techniques to study Fe-rich microbial mats associated with hydrothermal venting at Loihi Seamount, a submarine volcano. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPLE FINDINGS Using gradient enrichment techniques, two iron-oxidizing bacteria, strains PV-1 and JV-1, were isolated. Chemolithotrophic growth was observed under microaerobic conditions; Fe(II) and Fe(0) were the only energy sources that supported growth. Both strains produced filamentous stalk-like structures composed of multiple nanometer sized fibrils of Fe-oxyhydroxide. These were consistent with mineralogical structures found in the iron mats. Phylogenetic analysis of the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene demonstrated that strains PV-1 and JV-1 were identical and formed a monophyletic group deeply rooted within the Proteobacteria. The most similar sequence (85.3% similarity) from a cultivated isolate came from Methylophaga marina. Phylogenetic analysis of the RecA and GyrB protein sequences confirmed that these strains are distantly related to other members of the Proteobacteria. A cultivation-independent analysis of the SSU rRNA gene by terminal-restriction fragment (T-RF) profiling showed that this phylotype was most common in a variety of microbial mats collected at different times and locations at Loihi. CONCLUSIONS On the basis of phylogenetic and physiological data, it is proposed that isolate PV-1(T) ( = ATCC BAA-1019: JCM 14766) represents the type strain of a novel species in a new genus, Mariprofundus ferrooxydans gen. nov., sp. nov. Furthermore, the strain is the first cultured representative of a new candidatus class of the Proteobacteria that is widely distributed in deep-sea environments, Candidatus zeta (zeta)-Proteobacteria cl. nov.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Emerson
- American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, Virginia, United States of America.
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17
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Crone TJ, Wilcock WSD, Barclay AH, Parsons JD. The sound generated by mid-ocean ridge black smoker hydrothermal vents. PLoS One 2006; 1:e133. [PMID: 17205137 PMCID: PMC1762412 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2006] [Accepted: 12/06/2006] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrothermal flow through seafloor black smoker vents is typically turbulent and vigorous, with speeds often exceeding 1 m/s. Although theory predicts that these flows will generate sound, the prevailing view has been that black smokers are essentially silent. Here we present the first unambiguous field recordings showing that these vents radiate significant acoustic energy. The sounds contain a broadband component and narrowband tones which are indicative of resonance. The amplitude of the broadband component shows tidal modulation which is indicative of discharge rate variations related to the mechanics of tidal loading. Vent sounds will provide researchers with new ways to study flow through sulfide structures, and may provide some local organisms with behavioral or navigational cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Crone
- School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
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18
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Buck WR, Einarsson P, Brandsdóttir B. Tectonic stress and magma chamber size as controls on dike propagation: Constraints from the 1975-1984 Krafla rifting episode. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2005jb003879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 168] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- W. Roger Buck
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory; Columbia University; Palisades New York USA
| | - Páll Einarsson
- Institute of Earth Sciences; University of Iceland; Reykjavík Iceland
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Elsaied HE, Kimura H, Naganuma T. Composition of archaeal, bacterial, and eukaryal RuBisCO genotypes in three Western Pacific arc hydrothermal vent systems. Extremophiles 2006; 11:191-202. [PMID: 17024516 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-006-0025-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2005] [Accepted: 08/15/2006] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
We studied the diversity of all forms of the RuBisCO large subunit-encoding gene cbbL in three RuBisCO uncharacterized hydrothermal vent communities. This diversity included the archaeal cbbL and the forms IC and ID, which have not previously been studied in the deep-sea environment, in addition to the forms IA, IB and II. Vent plume sites were Fryer and Pika in the Mariana arc and the Suiyo Seamount, Izu-Bonin, Japan. The cbbL forms were PCR amplified from plume bulk microbial DNA and then cloned and sequenced. Archaeal cbbL was detected in the Mariana samples only. Both forms IA and II were amplified from all samples, while the form IC was amplified only from the Pika and Suiyo samples. Only the Suiyo sample showed amplification of the form ID. The form IB was not recorded in any sample. Based on rarefaction analysis, nucleotide diversity and average pairwise difference, the archaeal cbbL was the most diverse form in Mariana samples, while the bacterial form IA was the most diverse form in the Suiyo sample. Also, the Pika sample harbored the highest diversity of cbbL phylogenetic lineages. Based on pairwise reciprocal library comparisons, the Fryer and Pika archaeal cbbL libraries showed the most significant difference, while Pika and Suiyo showed the highest similarity for forms IA and II libraries. This suggested that the Fryer supported the most divergent sequences. All archaeal cbbL sequences formed unique phylogenetic lineages within the branches of anaerobic thermophilic archaea of the genera Pyrococcus, Archaeoglobus, and Methanococcus. The other cbbL forms formed novel phylogenetic clusters distinct from any recorded previously in other deep-sea habitats. This is the first evidence for the diversity of archaeal cbbL in environmental samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hosam Easa Elsaied
- Biological Resources and Functions, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 1-1-1, Higashi Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8566, Japan
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Embley RW, Chadwick WW, Baker ET, Butterfield DA, Resing JA, de Ronde CEJ, Tunnicliffe V, Lupton JE, Juniper SK, Rubin KH, Stern RJ, Lebon GT, Nakamura KI, Merle SG, Hein JR, Wiens DA, Tamura Y. Long-term eruptive activity at a submarine arc volcano. Nature 2006; 441:494-7. [PMID: 16724063 DOI: 10.1038/nature04762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2005] [Accepted: 03/22/2006] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Three-quarters of the Earth's volcanic activity is submarine, located mostly along the mid-ocean ridges, with the remainder along intraoceanic arcs and hotspots at depths varying from greater than 4,000 m to near the sea surface. Most observations and sampling of submarine eruptions have been indirect, made from surface vessels or made after the fact. We describe here direct observations and sampling of an eruption at a submarine arc volcano named NW Rota-1, located 60 km northwest of the island of Rota (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). We observed a pulsating plume permeated with droplets of molten sulphur disgorging volcanic ash and lapilli from a 15-m diameter pit in March 2004 and again in October 2005 near the summit of the volcano at a water depth of 555 m (depth in 2004). A turbid layer found on the flanks of the volcano (in 2004) at depths from 700 m to more than 1,400 m was probably formed by mass-wasting events related to the eruption. Long-term eruptive activity has produced an unusual chemical environment and a very unstable benthic habitat exploited by only a few mobile decapod species. Such conditions are perhaps distinctive of active arc and hotspot volcanoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W Embley
- NOAA/PMEL, 2115 SE O.S.U. Drive, Newport, Oregon 97365-5258, USA.
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22
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Nakagawa S, Takai K, Inagaki F, Chiba H, Ishibashi JI, Kataoka S, Hirayama H, Nunoura T, Horikoshi K, Sako Y. Variability in microbial community and venting chemistry in a sediment-hosted backarc hydrothermal system: Impacts of subseafloor phase-separation. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2005; 54:141-55. [PMID: 16329980 DOI: 10.1016/j.femsec.2005.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2004] [Revised: 03/10/2005] [Accepted: 03/16/2005] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Phase-separation and -segregation (boiling/distillation of subseafloor hydrothermal fluids) represent the primary mechanisms causing intra-field variations in vent fluid compositions. To determine whether this geochemical process affects the formation of microbial communities, we examined the microbial communities at three different vent sites located within a few tens meters of one another. In addition to chimney structures, colonization devices capturing subseafloor communities entrained by the vent fluids were studied, using culture-dependent and -independent methods. Microbiological analyses demonstrated the occurrence of distinctive microbial communities in each of the hydrothermal niches. Within a chimney structure, there was a transition from a mixed community of mesophiles and thermophiles in the exterior parts to thermophiles in the interior. Beside the transition within a chimney structure, intra-field variations in microbial communities in vent fluids were apparent. Geochemical analysis demonstrated that different vent fluids have distinctive end-member compositions as a consequence of subseafloor phase-separation and -segregation, which were designated gas-depleted, normal and gas-enriched fluids. In comparison to gas-depleted and normal fluids, gas-enriched fluids harbored more abundant chemolithoautotrophs with gaseous component-dependent energy metabolism, such as hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. Subseafloor phase-separation and -segregation may play a key role in supplying energy and carbon sources to vent-associated chemolithoautotrophs and subvent microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Nakagawa
- Laboratory of Marine Microbiology, Division of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Oiwake-cho, Kitashirakawa, Sakyo-ku, Japan.
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Nealson KH, Inagaki F, Takai K. Hydrogen-driven subsurface lithoautotrophic microbial ecosystems (SLiMEs): do they exist and why should we care? Trends Microbiol 2005; 13:405-10. [PMID: 16054814 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2005.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2005] [Revised: 06/30/2005] [Accepted: 07/21/2005] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
One of the keys to success of many anaerobic ecosystems is the process of syntrophic intercellular hydrogen transfer. This process facilitates the overall reaction by end-product removal, taking advantage of a wide variety of organisms that are able to use hydrogen directly as an energy source by uptake hydrogenases. Thus, the issue is not whether there are hydrogen-driven processes or communities but whether there are hydrogen-driven communities that exist and persist independently of the products of photosynthesis (so-called subsurface lithoautotrophic microbial ecosystems, or SLiMEs). It is the proof of long-term independence from photosynthesis and its products that is the most difficult issue to establish, and perhaps the most important one with regard to searching for SLiMEs both on and off our planet. Although the evidence is not yet unequivocal, a growing body of evidence supports the existence of SLiME-like communities: if they exist, the implications are immense with regard to understanding subsurface environments on Earth, looking for present day analogs of early Earth and the search for life in other worlds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth H Nealson
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, 3651 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0740, USA.
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Naganuma T, Elsaied HE, Hoshii D, Kimura H. Bacterial endosymbioses of gutless tube-dwelling worms in nonhydrothermal vent habitats. MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2005; 7:416-28. [PMID: 16088356 DOI: 10.1007/s10126-004-5089-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2005] [Accepted: 04/28/2005] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Gutless tube-dwelling worms of pogonophorans (also known as frenulates) and vestimentiferans depend on primary production of endosymbiotic bacteria. The endosymbionts include thiotrophs that oxidize sulfur for autotrophic production and methanotrophs that oxidize and assimilate methane. Although most of the pogonophoran and vestimentiferan tube worms possess single thiotrophic 16S rRNA genes (16S rDNA) related to gamma-proteobacteria, some pogonohorans are known to bear single methanotroph species or even dual symbionts of thiotrophs and methanotrophs. The vestimentiferan Lamellibrachia sp. L1 shows symbiotic 16S rDNA sequences of alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and epsilon-proteobacteria, varying among specimens, with RuBisCO form II gene (cbbM) sequences related to beta-proteobacteria. An unidentified pogonophoran from the world's deepest cold seep, 7326-m deep in the Japan Trench, hosts a symbiotic thiotroph based on 16S rDNA with the RuBisCO form I gene (cbbL). In contrast, a shallow-water pogonophoran (Oligobrachia mashikoi) in coastal Japan Sea has a methanotrophic 16S rDNA and thiotrophic cbbL, which may suggest the feature of type X methanotrophs. These observations demonstrate that pogonophoran and vestimentiferan worms have higher plasticity in bacterial symbioses than previously suspected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Naganuma
- Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, 1-4-4 Kagamiyama, Higashi-hiroshima, 739-8528, Japan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth H Nealson
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
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Davis E, Becker K, Dziak R, Cassidy J, Wang K, Lilley M. Hydrological response to a seafloor spreading episode on the Juan de Fuca ridge. Nature 2004; 430:335-8. [PMID: 15254534 DOI: 10.1038/nature02755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2004] [Accepted: 06/14/2004] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Seafloor hydrothermal systems are known to respond to seismic and magmatic activity along mid-ocean ridges, often resulting in locally positive changes in hydrothermal discharge rate, temperature and microbial activity, and shifts in composition occurring at the time of earthquake swarms and axial crustal dike injections. Corresponding regional effects have also been observed. Here we present observations of a hydrological response to seafloor spreading activity, which resulted in a negative formation-fluid pressure transient during and after an earthquake swarm in the sediment-sealed igneous crust of the Middle Valley rift of the northernmost Juan de Fuca ridge. The observations were made with a borehole seal and hydrologic observatory originally established in 1991 to study the steady-state pressure and temperature conditions in this hydrothermally active area. The magnitude of the co-seismic response is consistent with the elastic strain that would be expected from the associated earthquakes, but the prolonged negative pressure transient after the swarm is surprising and suggests net co-seismic dilatation of the upper, permeable igneous crust. The rift valley was visited four weeks after the onset of the seismic activity, but no signature of increased hydrothermal activity was detected in the water column. It appears that water, not magma, filled the void left by this spreading episode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Earl Davis
- Pacific Geoscience Centre, Geological Survey of Canada, Sidney, British Columbia V8L 4B2, Canada.
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Takai K, Gamo T, Tsunogai U, Nakayama N, Hirayama H, Nealson KH, Horikoshi K. Geochemical and microbiological evidence for a hydrogen-based, hyperthermophilic subsurface lithoautotrophic microbial ecosystem (HyperSLiME) beneath an active deep-sea hydrothermal field. Extremophiles 2004; 8:269-82. [PMID: 15309563 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-004-0386-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2003] [Accepted: 02/18/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Subsurface microbial communities supported by geologically and abiologically derived hydrogen and carbon dioxide from the Earth's interior are of great interest, not only with regard to the nature of primitive life on Earth, but as potential analogs for extraterrestrial life. Here, for the first time, we present geochemical and microbiological evidence pointing to the existence of hyperthermophilic subsurface lithoautotrophic microbial ecosystem (HyperSLiME) dominated by hyperthermophilic methanogens beneath an active deep-sea hydrothermal field in the Central Indian Ridge. Geochemical and isotopic analyses of gaseous components in the hydrothermal fluids revealed heterogeneity of both concentration and carbon isotopic compositions of methane between the main hydrothermal vent (0.08 mM and -13.8 per thousand PDB, respectively) and the adjacent divergent vent site (0.2 mM and -18.5 per thousand PDB, respectively), representing potential subsurface microbial methanogenesis, at least in the divergent vent emitting more 13C-depleted methane. Extremely high abundance of magmatic energy sources such as hydrogen (2.5 mM) in the fluids also encourages a hydrogen-based, lithoautotrophic microbial activity. Both cultivation and cultivation-independent molecular analyses suggested the predominance of Methanococcales members in the superheated hydrothermal emissions and chimney interiors along with the other major microbial components of Thermococcales members. These results imply that a HyperSLiME, consisting of methanogens and fermenters, occurs in this tectonically active subsurface zone, strongly supporting the existence of hydrogen-driven subsurface microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Takai
- Subground Animalcule Retrieval (SUGAR) Project, Frontier Research System for Extremophiles, Japan Marine Science and Technology Center (JAMSTEC), 2-15 Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka 237-0061, Japan.
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Embley RW, Lupton JE. Diking, event plumes, and the subsurface biosphere at mid-ocean ridges. THE SUBSEAFLOOR BIOSPHERE AT MID-OCEAN RIDGES 2004. [DOI: 10.1029/144gm06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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Baross JA, Wilcock WSD, Kelley DS, DeLong EF, Craig Cary S. The subsurface biosphere at Mid-Ocean Ridges: Issues and challenges. THE SUBSEAFLOOR BIOSPHERE AT MID-OCEAN RIDGES 2004. [DOI: 10.1029/144gm01] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Butterfield DA, Roe KK, Lilley MD, Huber JA, Baross JA, Embley RW, Massoth GJ. Mixing, reaction and microbial activity in the sub-seafloor revealed by temporal and spatial variation in diffuse flow vents at axial volcano. THE SUBSEAFLOOR BIOSPHERE AT MID-OCEAN RIDGES 2004. [DOI: 10.1029/144gm17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Studying the deep subsurface biosphere: Emerging technologies and applications. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004. [DOI: 10.1029/144gm24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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32
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Distribution of unusual archaea in subsurface biosphere. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004. [DOI: 10.1029/144gm23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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33
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Cowen JP, Baker ET, Embley RW. Detection of and response to mid-ocean ridge magmatic events: Implications for the subsurface biosphere. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004. [DOI: 10.1029/144gm15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
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34
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Volatiles in submarine environments: Food for life. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004. [DOI: 10.1029/144gm11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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35
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Seyfried WE, Seewald JS, Berndt ME, Ding K, Foustoukos DI. Chemistry of hydrothermal vent fluids from the Main Endeavour Field, northern Juan de Fuca Ridge: Geochemical controls in the aftermath of June 1999 seismic events. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2003. [DOI: 10.1029/2002jb001957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- W. E. Seyfried
- Department of Geology and Geophysics; University of Minnesota; Minneapolis Minnesota USA
| | - J. S. Seewald
- Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Woods Hole Massachusetts USA
| | - M. E. Berndt
- Department of Geology and Geophysics; University of Minnesota; Minneapolis Minnesota USA
| | - Kang Ding
- Department of Geology and Geophysics; University of Minnesota; Minneapolis Minnesota USA
| | - D. I. Foustoukos
- Department of Geology and Geophysics; University of Minnesota; Minneapolis Minnesota USA
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Schrenk MO, Kelley DS, Delaney JR, Baross JA. Incidence and diversity of microorganisms within the walls of an active deep-sea sulfide chimney. Appl Environ Microbiol 2003; 69:3580-92. [PMID: 12788766 PMCID: PMC161516 DOI: 10.1128/aem.69.6.3580-3592.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A large, intact sulfide chimney, designated Finn, was recovered from the Mothra Vent Field on the Juan de Fuca Ridge in 1998. Finn was venting 302 degrees C fluids on the seafloor and contained complex mineralogical zones surrounding a large open central conduit. Examination of microorganisms within these zones, followed by community analysis with oligonucleotide probes, showed that there were variations in the abundance and diversity of eubacteria and archaea from the exterior to the interior of the chimney. The microbial abundance based upon epifluorescence microscopy and quantitative fatty acid analyses varied from >10(8) cells/g of sulfide 2 to 10 cm within the chimney wall to <10(5) cells/g in interior zones. Direct microscopic observation indicated that microorganisms were attached to mineral surfaces throughout the structure. Whole-cell hybridization results revealed that there was a transition from a mixed community of eubacteria and archaea near the cool exterior of the chimney to primarily archaea near the warm interior. Archaeal diversity was examined in three zones of Finn by cloning and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The majority of sequences from the exterior of the chimney were related to marine group I of the Crenarchaeota and uncultured Euryarchaeota from benthic marine environments. In contrast, clone libraries from interior regions of the chimney contained sequences closely related to methanogens, Thermococcales, and Archaeoglobales, in addition to uncultured crenarchaeal phylotypes obtained from deep subsurface sites. These observations of microbial communities within an active hydrothermal chimney provide insight into the microbial ecology within such structures and may facilitate follow-up exploration into expanding the known upper temperature limits of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew O Schrenk
- School of Oceanography and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA.
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37
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Floyd JS, Tolstoy M, Mutter JC, Scholz CH. Seismotectonics of mid-ocean ridge propagation in Hess Deep. Science 2002; 298:1765-8. [PMID: 12459584 DOI: 10.1126/science.1077950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Hydroacoustic data from the eastern equatorial Pacific reveal low-magnitude seismicity concentrated at the propagating tip of the Galapagos Rise in Hess Deep. The patterns of seismicity and faulting are similar to those observed in the process zone of laboratory-scale propagating tensile cracks. Because the fracture energy required for propagation scales with crack length and process zone size, it follows that ridges can propagate stably in the brittle crust without exceptional resisting forces as proposed by previous models based on linear elastic fracture mechanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline S Floyd
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Earth Institute, Columbia University, 61 Route 9W, Palisades, NY 10964, USA.
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Stewart MA, Klein EM, Karson JA. Geochemistry of dikes and lavas from the north wall of the Hess Deep Rift: Insights into the four-dimensional character of crustal construction at fast spreading mid-ocean ridges. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2002. [DOI: 10.1029/2001jb000545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael A. Stewart
- Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences; Duke University; Durham North Carolina USA
| | - Emily M. Klein
- Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences; Duke University; Durham North Carolina USA
| | - Jeffrey A. Karson
- Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences; Duke University; Durham North Carolina USA
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39
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Karson JA, Tivey MA, Delaney JR. Internal structure of uppermost oceanic crust along the Western Blanco Transform Scarp: Implications for subaxial accretion and deformation at the Juan de Fuca Ridge. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2002. [DOI: 10.1029/2000jb000051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey A. Karson
- Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences; Duke University; Durham North Carolina USA
| | - Maurice A. Tivey
- Department of Geology and Geophysics; Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Woods Hole Massachusetts USA
| | - John R. Delaney
- School of Oceanography; University of Washington; Seattle Washington USA
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Huber JA, Butterfield DA, Baross JA. Temporal changes in archaeal diversity and chemistry in a mid-ocean ridge subseafloor habitat. Appl Environ Microbiol 2002; 68:1585-94. [PMID: 11916672 PMCID: PMC123862 DOI: 10.1128/aem.68.4.1585-1594.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 195] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The temporal variation in archaeal diversity in vent fluids from a midocean ridge subseafloor habitat was examined using PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and most-probable-number (MPN) cultivation techniques targeting hyperthermophiles. To determine how variations in temperature and chemical characteristics of subseafloor fluids affect the microbial communities, we performed molecular phylogenetic and chemical analyses on diffuse-flow vent fluids from one site shortly after a volcanic eruption in 1998 and again in 1999 and 2000. The archaeal population was divided into particle-attached (>3-microm-diameter cells) and free-living fractions to test the hypothesis that subseafloor microorganisms associated with active hydrothermal systems are adapted for a lifestyle that involves attachment to solid surfaces and formation of biofilms. To delineate between entrained seawater archaea and the indigenous subseafloor microbial community, a background seawater sample was also examined and found to consist only of Group I Crenarchaeota and Group II Euryarchaeota, both of which were also present in vent fluids. The indigenous subseafloor archaeal community consisted of clones related to both mesophilic and hyperthermophilic Methanococcales, as well as many uncultured Euryarchaeota, some of which have been identified in other vent environments. The particle-attached fraction consistently showed greater diversity than the free-living fraction. The fluid and MPN counts indicate that while culturable hyperthermophiles represent less than 1% of the total microbial community, the subseafloor at new eruption sites does support a hyperthermophilic microbial community. The temperature and chemical indicators of the degree of subseafloor mixing appear to be the most important environmental parameters affecting community diversity, and it is apparent that decreasing fluid temperatures correlated with increased entrainment of seawater, decreased concentrations of hydrothermal chemical species, and increased incidence of seawater archaeal sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Huber
- School of Oceanography and Astrobiology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA.
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41
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Marteinsson VT, Hauksdóttir S, Hobel CF, Kristmannsdóttir H, Hreggvidsson GO, Kristjánsson JK. Phylogenetic diversity analysis of subterranean hot springs in Iceland. Appl Environ Microbiol 2001; 67:4242-8. [PMID: 11526029 PMCID: PMC93153 DOI: 10.1128/aem.67.9.4242-4248.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2001] [Accepted: 06/27/2001] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Geothermal energy has been harnessed and used for domestic heating in Iceland. In wells that are typically drilled to a depth of 1,500 to 2,000 m, the temperature of the source water is 50 to 130 degrees C. The bottoms of the boreholes can therefore be regarded as subterranean hot springs and provide a unique opportunity to study the subterranean biosphere. Large volumes of geothermal fluid from five wells and a mixture of geothermal water from 50 geothermal wells (hot tap water) were sampled and concentrated through a 0.2-microm-pore-size filter. Cells were observed in wells RG-39 (91.4 degrees C) and MG-18 (71.8 degrees C) and in hot tap water (76 degrees C), but no cells were detected in wells SN-4, SN-5 (95 to 117 degrees C), and RV-5 (130 degrees C). Archaea and Bacteria were detected by whole-cell fluorescent in situ hybridization. DNAs were extracted from the biomass, and small-subunit rRNA genes (16S rDNAs) were amplified by PCR using primers specific for the Archaea and Bacteria domains. The PCR products were cloned and sequenced. The sequence analysis showed 11 new operational taxonomic units (OTUs) out of 14, 3 of which were affiliated with known surface OTUs. Samples from RG-39 and hot tap water were inoculated into enrichment media and incubated at 65 and 85 degrees C. Growth was observed only in media based on geothermal water. 16S rDNA analysis showed enrichments dominated with Desulfurococcales relatives. Two strains belonging to Desulfurococcus mobilis and to the Thermus/Deinococcus group were isolated from borehole RG-39. The results indicate that subsurface volcanic zones are an environment that provides a rich subsurface for novel thermophiles.
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Chadwick WW, Scheirer DS, Embley RW, Johnson HP. High-resolution bathymetric surveys using scanning sonars: Lava flow morphology, hydrothermal vents, and geologic structure at recent eruption sites on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2001. [DOI: 10.1029/2001jb000297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Summit M, Baross JA. A novel microbial habitat in the mid-ocean ridge subseafloor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2001; 98:2158-63. [PMID: 11226209 PMCID: PMC30109 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.051516098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2000] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The subseafloor at the mid-ocean ridge is predicted to be an excellent microbial habitat, because there is abundant space, fluid flow, and geochemical energy in the porous, hydrothermally influenced oceanic crust. These characteristics also make it a good analog for potential subsurface extraterrestrial habitats. Subseafloor environments created by the mixing of hot hydrothermal fluids and seawater are predicted to be particularly energy-rich, and hyperthermophilic microorganisms that broadly reflect such predictions are ejected from these systems in low-temperature ( approximately 15 degrees C), basalt-hosted diffuse effluents. Seven hyperthermophilic heterotrophs isolated from low-temperature diffuse fluids exiting the basaltic crust in and near two hydrothermal vent fields on the Endeavour Segment, Juan de Fuca Ridge, were compared phylogenetically and physiologically to six similarly enriched hyperthermophiles from samples associated with seafloor metal sulfide structures. The 13 organisms fell into four distinct groups: one group of two organisms corresponding to the genus Pyrococcus and three groups corresponding to the genus Thermococcus. Of these three groups, one was composed solely of sulfide-derived organisms, and the other two related groups were composed of subseafloor organisms. There was no evidence of restricted exchange of organisms between sulfide and subseafloor habitats, and therefore this phylogenetic distinction indicates a selective force operating between the two habitats. Hypotheses regarding the habitat differences were generated through comparison of the physiology of the two groups of hyperthermophiles; some potential differences between these habitats include fluid flow stability, metal ion concentrations, and sources of complex organic matter.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Summit
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Campus Box 1169, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
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Zierenberg RA, Adams MW, Arp AJ. Life in extreme environments: hydrothermal vents. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2000; 97:12961-2. [PMID: 11058150 PMCID: PMC34077 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.210395997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- R A Zierenberg
- Department of Geology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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45
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Wheat CG, Jannasch HW, Plant JN, Moyer CL, Sansone FJ, McMurtry GM. Continuous sampling of hydrothermal fluids from Loihi Seamount after the 1996 event. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2000. [DOI: 10.1029/2000jb900088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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46
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Embley RW, Chadwick WW, Perfit MR, Smith MC, Delaney JR. Recent eruptions on the CoAxial segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge: Implications for mid-ocean ridge accretion processes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2000. [DOI: 10.1029/2000jb900030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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47
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Kelley DS, Früh-Green GL. Abiogenic methane in deep-seated mid-ocean ridge environments: Insights from stable isotope analyses. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 1999. [DOI: 10.1029/1999jb900058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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48
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Taylor, Wirsen, Gaill. Rapid microbial production of filamentous sulfur mats at hydrothermal vents. Appl Environ Microbiol 1999; 65:2253-5. [PMID: 10224031 PMCID: PMC91328 DOI: 10.1128/aem.65.5.2253-2255.1999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/1999] [Accepted: 03/01/1999] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
During recent oceanographic cruises to Pacific hydrothermal vent sites (9 degrees N and the Guaymas Basin), the rapid microbial formation of filamentous sulfur mats by a new chemoautotrophic, hydrogen sulfide-oxidizing bacterium was documented in both in situ and shipboard experiments. Observations suggest that formation of these sulfur mats may be a factor in the initial colonization of hydrothermal surfaces by macrofaunal Alvinella worms. This novel metabolic capability, previously shown to be carried out by a coastal strain in H2S continuous-flow reactors, may be an important, heretofore unconsidered, source of microbial organic matter production at deep-sea hydrothermal vents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor
- Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
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Abstract
Thirty years after Margulis revived the endosymbiosis theory for the origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts, two novel symbiosis hypotheses for the origin of eukaryotes have been put forward. Both propose that eukaryotes arose through metabolic symbiosis (syntrophy) between eubacteria and methanogenic Archaea. They also propose that this was mediated by interspecies hydrogen transfer and that, initially, mitochondria were anaerobic. These hypotheses explain the mosaic character of eukaryotes (i.e. an archaeal-like genetic machinery and a eubacterial-like metabolism), as well as distinct eukaryotic characteristics (which are proposed to be products of symbiosis). Combined data from comparative genomics, microbial ecology and the fossil record should help to test their validity.
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Affiliation(s)
- P López-Garćia
- Institut de Génétique et Microbiologie, Université Paris-Sud, bâtiment 409, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France.
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