1
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Mukherjee D, Selvi VA, Ganguly J, Masto RE. New insights into the coal-associated methane architect: the ancient archaebacteria. Arch Microbiol 2024; 206:234. [PMID: 38664262 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-024-03961-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Exploration and marketable exploitation of coalbed methane (CBM) as cleaner fuel has been started globally. In addition, incidence of methane in coal basins is an imperative fraction of global carbon cycle. Significantly, subsurface coal ecosystem contains methane forming archaea. There is a rising attention in optimizing microbial coal gasification to exploit the abundant or inexpensive coal reserves worldwide. Therefore, it is essential to understand the coalbeds in geo-microbial perspective. Current review provides an in-depth analysis of recent advances in our understanding of how methanoarchaea are distributed in coal deposits globally. Specially, we highlight the findings on coal-associated methanoarchaeal existence, abundance, diversity, metabolic activity, and biogeography in diverse coal basins worldwide. Growing evidences indicates that we have arrived an exciting era of archaeal research. Moreover, gasification of coal into methane by utilizing microbial methanogenesis is a considerable way to mitigate the energy crisis for the rising world population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diptangshu Mukherjee
- Industrial Biotechnology and Waste Utilization Research Group, CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Digwadih Campus, PO FRI, Dhanbad, Jharkhand, 828108, India
| | - Vetrivel Angu Selvi
- Industrial Biotechnology and Waste Utilization Research Group, CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Digwadih Campus, PO FRI, Dhanbad, Jharkhand, 828108, India.
| | - Jhuma Ganguly
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology Shibpur, PO Botanical Garden, Howrah, West Bengal, 711103, India
| | - Reginald Ebhin Masto
- Industrial Biotechnology and Waste Utilization Research Group, CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Digwadih Campus, PO FRI, Dhanbad, Jharkhand, 828108, India
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2
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Chawla M, Lavania M, Sahu N, Shekhar S, Singh N, More A, Iyer M, Kumar S, Singh K, Lal B. Culture-independent assessment of the indigenous microbial diversity of Raniganj coal bed methane block, Durgapur. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1233605. [PMID: 37731928 PMCID: PMC10507629 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1233605] [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: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
It is widely acknowledged that conventional mining and extraction techniques have left many parts of the world with depleting coal reserves. A sustainable method for improving the recovery of natural gas from coalbeds involves enhancing the production of biogenic methane in coal mines. By taking a culture-independent approach, the diversity of the microbial community present in the formation water of an Indian reservoir was examined using 16S rRNA gene amplification in order to study the potential of microbial-enhanced coal bed methane (CBM) production from the deep thermogenic wells at a depth of 800-1200 m. Physicochemical characterization of formation water and coal samples was performed with the aim of understanding the in situ reservoir conditions that are most favorable for microbial CBM production. Microbial community analysis of formation water showed that bacteria were more abundant than archaea. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes were found as the most prevalent phyla in all the samples. These phyla play a crucial role in providing substrate for the process of methanogenesis by performing fermentative, hydrolytic, and syntrophic functions. Considerable variation in the abundance of microbial genera was observed amongst the selected CBM wells, potentially due to variable local geochemical conditions within the reservoir. The results of our study provide insights into the impact of geochemical factors on microbial distribution within the reservoir. Further, the study demonstrates lab-scale enhancement in methane production through nutrient amendment. It also focuses on understanding the microbial diversity of the Raniganj coalbed methane block using amplicon sequencing and further recognizing the potential of biogenic methane enhancement through microbial stimulation. The findings of the study will help as a reference for better strategization and implementation of on-site microbial stimulation for enhanced biogenic methane production in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansi Chawla
- Environmental and Industrial Biotechnology Division, The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Meeta Lavania
- Environmental and Industrial Biotechnology Division, The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Nishi Sahu
- Environmental and Industrial Biotechnology Division, The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Nimmi Singh
- Environmental and Industrial Biotechnology Division, The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Anand More
- Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Limited, Durgapur, West Bengal, India
| | - Magesh Iyer
- Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Limited, Durgapur, West Bengal, India
| | - Sanjay Kumar
- Essar Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Limited, Durgapur, West Bengal, India
| | | | - Banwari Lal
- Environmental and Industrial Biotechnology Division, The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi, India
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3
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Soares A, Edwards A, An D, Bagnoud A, Bradley J, Barnhart E, Bomberg M, Budwill K, Caffrey SM, Fields M, Gralnick J, Kadnikov V, Momper L, Osburn M, Mu A, Moreau JW, Moser D, Purkamo L, Rassner SM, Sheik CS, Sherwood Lollar B, Toner BM, Voordouw G, Wouters K, Mitchell AC. A global perspective on bacterial diversity in the terrestrial deep subsurface. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2023; 169:001172. [PMID: 36748549 PMCID: PMC9993121 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
While recent efforts to catalogue Earth's microbial diversity have focused upon surface and marine habitats, 12-20 % of Earth's biomass is suggested to exist in the terrestrial deep subsurface, compared to ~1.8 % in the deep subseafloor. Metagenomic studies of the terrestrial deep subsurface have yielded a trove of divergent and functionally important microbiomes from a range of localities. However, a wider perspective of microbial diversity and its relationship to environmental conditions within the terrestrial deep subsurface is still required. Our meta-analysis reveals that terrestrial deep subsurface microbiota are dominated by Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria and Firmicutes, probably as a function of the diverse metabolic strategies of these taxa. Evidence was also found for a common small consortium of prevalent Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria operational taxonomic units across the localities. This implies a core terrestrial deep subsurface community, irrespective of aquifer lithology, depth and other variables, that may play an important role in colonizing and sustaining microbial habitats in the deep terrestrial subsurface. An in silico contamination-aware approach to analysing this dataset underscores the importance of downstream methods for assuring that robust conclusions can be reached from deep subsurface-derived sequencing data. Understanding the global panorama of microbial diversity and ecological dynamics in the deep terrestrial subsurface provides a first step towards understanding the role of microbes in global subsurface element and nutrient cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Soares
- Department of Geography and Earth Sciences (DGES), Aberystwyth University (AU), Aberystwyth, UK
- Institute of Biology, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), AU, Aberystwyth, UK
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Present address: Group for Aquatic Microbial Ecology (GAME), University of Duisburg-Essen, Campus Essen - Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - A. Edwards
- Institute of Biology, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), AU, Aberystwyth, UK
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Environmental Microbiology (iCEM), AU, Aberystwyth, UK
| | - D. An
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - A. Bagnoud
- Institut de Génie Thermique (IGT), Haute École d'Ingénierie et de Gestion du Canton de Vaud (HEIG-VD), Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland
| | - J. Bradley
- School of Geography, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - E. Barnhart
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), USA, Reston, VA, USA
- Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE), Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - M. Bomberg
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Finland
| | | | | | - M. Fields
- Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE), Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, MSU, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - J. Gralnick
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - V. Kadnikov
- Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia
| | - L. Momper
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (DEAPS), The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - M. Osburn
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - A. Mu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Doherty Applied Microbial Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - J. W. Moreau
- School of Earth Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - D. Moser
- Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute (DRI), Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - L. Purkamo
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Finland
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES), University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK
- Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), Finland
| | - S. M. Rassner
- Department of Geography and Earth Sciences (DGES), Aberystwyth University (AU), Aberystwyth, UK
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Environmental Microbiology (iCEM), AU, Aberystwyth, UK
| | - C. S. Sheik
- Large Lakes Observatory, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN, USA
| | | | - B. M. Toner
- Department of Soil, Water & Climate, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis/Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - G. Voordouw
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - K. Wouters
- Institute for Environment, Health and Safety (EHS), Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK•CEN, Mol, Belgium
| | - A. C. Mitchell
- Department of Geography and Earth Sciences (DGES), Aberystwyth University (AU), Aberystwyth, UK
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Environmental Microbiology (iCEM), AU, Aberystwyth, UK
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4
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Ross DE, Lipus D, Gulliver D. Predominance of Methanomicrobiales and diverse hydrocarbon-degrading taxa in the Appalachian coalbed biosphere revealed through metagenomics and genome-resolved metabolisms. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:5984-5997. [PMID: 36251278 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Coalbed deposits are a unique subsurface environment and represent an underutilized resource for methane generation. Microbial communities extant in coalbed deposits are responsible for key subsurface biogeochemical cycling and could be utilized to enhance methane production in areas where existing gas wells have depleted methane stores, or in coalbeds that are unmined, or conversely be utilized for mitigation of methane release. Here we utilize metagenomics and metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) to identify extant microbial lineages and genome-resolved microbial metabolisms of coalbed produced water, which has not yet been explored in the Appalachian Basin (AppB). Our analyses resulted in the recovery of over 40 MAGs from 8 coalbed methane wells. The most commonly identified taxa among samples were hydrogenotrophic methanogens from the order Methanomicrobiales and these dominant MAGs were highly similar to one another. Conversely, low-abundance coalbed bacterial populations were taxonomically and functionally diverse, mostly belonging to a variety of Proteobacteria classes, and encoding various hydrocarbon solubilization and degradation pathways. The data presented herein provides novel insights into AppB coalbed microbial ecology, and our findings provide new perspectives on underrepresented Methanocalculus species and low-relative abundance bacterial assemblages in coalbed environments, and their potential roles in stimulation or mitigation of methane release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Ross
- Research and Innovation Center, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.,Leidos Research Support Team (LRST), NETL Support Contractor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Daniel Lipus
- Research and Innovation Center, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.,Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States.,Section Geomicrobiology, GFZ Geoforschungszentrum Potsdam, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany
| | - Djuna Gulliver
- Research and Innovation Center, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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5
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Li Y, Liu B, Chen J, Yue X. Carbon-Nitrogen-Sulfur-Related Microbial Taxa and Genes Maintained the Stability of Microbial Communities in Coals. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:22671-22681. [PMID: 35811862 PMCID: PMC9260939 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c02126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Coal microbes are the predominant form of life in the subsurface ecosystem, which play a vital role in biogeochemical cycles. However, the systematic information about carbon-nitrogen-sulfur (C-N-S)-related microbial communities in coal seams is limited. In this study, 16S rRNA gene data from a total of 93 microbial communities in coals were collected for meta-analysis. The results showed that 718 functional genera were related to the C-N-S cycle, wherein N2 fixation, denitrification, and C degradation groups dominated in relative abundance, Chao1 richness, Shannon diversity, and niche width. Genus Pseudomonas having the most C-N-S-related functions showed the highest relative abundance, and genus Herbaspirillum with a higher abundance participated in C degradation, CH4 oxidation, N2 fixation, ammoxidation, and denitrification. Such Herbaspirillum was a core genus in the co-occurrence network of microbial prokaryotes and showed higher levels in weight degree, betweenness centrality, and eigenvector centrality. In addition, most of the methanogens could fix N2 and dominated in the N2 fixation groups. Among them, genera Methanoculleus and Methanosaeta showed higher levels in the betweenness centrality index. In addition, the genus Clostridium was linked to the methanogenesis co-occurrence network module. In parallel, the S reduction gene was present in the highest total relative abundance of genes, followed by the C degradation and the denitrification genes, and S genes (especially cys genes) were the main genes linked to the co-occurrence network of the C-N-S-related genes. In summary, this study strengthened our knowledge regarding the C-N-S-related coal microbial communities, which is of great significance in understanding the microbial ecology and geochemical cycle of coals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Li
- State
Key Laboratory of Mining Response and Disaster Prevention and Control
in Deep Coal Mines, Anhui University of
Science & Technology, Huainan, Anhui 232001, China
- Institute
of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China
| | - Bingjun Liu
- State
Key Laboratory of Mining Response and Disaster Prevention and Control
in Deep Coal Mines, Anhui University of
Science & Technology, Huainan, Anhui 232001, China
- Institute
of Energy, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, Anhui 230031, China
| | - Jian Chen
- Coal
Mining National Engineering and Technology Research Institute, Huainan, Anhui 232001, China
| | - Xuelian Yue
- Jinneng
Holding Shanxi Science and Technology Research Institute Co. LTD., Taiyuan, Shanxi 030600, China
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6
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Andrade PAMD, de Souza AJ, Lira SP, Assis MA, Berlinck RGS, Andreote FD. The bacterial and fungal communities associated with Anthurium ssp. leaves: Insights into plant endemism and microbe association. Microbiol Res 2020; 244:126667. [PMID: 33338969 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2020.126667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
It is known that different plant species select specific microbes to live inside their tissues in a process determined by the host genotype, phenotype and geographic location, which can introduce discussion on plant endemism and the assembly of specific microbial communities. Herein, we report the results of an investigation relating the geographic distribution of plant species and the composition of microbial communities associated with plant hosts. The bacterial and fungal community associated with Anthurium plant leaves was mapped to assess the diversity and ecology of the endophytic community associated with Anthurium spp. collected on islands and on the Brazilian mainland. Twenty-six Anthurium specimens were surveyed, distributed throughout the São Paulo state coastline, including Alcatrazes Island, some coastal islands and distinct mainland environments. Bacterial and fungal endophytes were obtained from the leaves of A. alcatrazense, A. loefgrenii, A. penthaphyllum, A. urvellianum and A. intermedium and subjected to massive bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS sequencing. The results indicated that A. alcatrazense, endemic to Alcatrazes Island, hosted a specific bacterial community structure, while its fungal community was similar to that of Anthurium species from other locations. Betaproteobacteria showed a high differential occurrence in A. alcatrazense. Some groups of fungi were found mainly inhabiting A. loefgrenii plants. While Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Sordariomycetes, Dothiodeomycetes and Tremellomycetes composed the core microbial community among Anthurium plants. The results suggest crucial role for the bacterial communities to endemic plants, while endophytic fungal diversity is less specifically distributed among endemic and nonendemic plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Avelino Maia de Andrade
- Department of Soil Science, "Luiz de Queiroz" Superior College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Adijailton José de Souza
- Department of Soil Science, "Luiz de Queiroz" Superior College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Simone Possedente Lira
- Department of Exact Science, "Luiz de Queiroz" Superior College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marco Antonio Assis
- Department of Botany, São Paulo State University, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Roberto G S Berlinck
- São Carlos Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fernando Dini Andreote
- Department of Soil Science, "Luiz de Queiroz" Superior College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil.
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7
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Laczi K, Erdeiné Kis Á, Szilágyi Á, Bounedjoum N, Bodor A, Vincze GE, Kovács T, Rákhely G, Perei K. New Frontiers of Anaerobic Hydrocarbon Biodegradation in the Multi-Omics Era. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:590049. [PMID: 33304336 PMCID: PMC7701123 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.590049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of petroleum hydrocarbons in the environment substantially endangers terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Many microbial strains have been recognized to utilize aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons under aerobic conditions. Nevertheless, most of these pollutants are transferred by natural processes, including rain, into the underground anaerobic zones where their degradation is much more problematic. In oxic zones, anaerobic microenvironments can be formed as a consequence of the intensive respiratory activities of (facultative) aerobic microbes. Even though aerobic bioremediation has been well-characterized over the past few decades, ample research is yet to be done in the field of anaerobic hydrocarbon biodegradation. With the emergence of high-throughput techniques, known as omics (e.g., genomics and metagenomics), the individual biodegraders, hydrocarbon-degrading microbial communities and metabolic pathways, interactions can be described at a contaminated site. Omics approaches provide the opportunity to examine single microorganisms or microbial communities at the system level and elucidate the metabolic networks, interspecies interactions during hydrocarbon mineralization. Metatranscriptomics and metaproteomics, for example, can shed light on the active genes and proteins and functional importance of the less abundant species. Moreover, novel unculturable hydrocarbon-degrading strains and enzymes can be discovered and fit into the metabolic networks of the community. Our objective is to review the anaerobic hydrocarbon biodegradation processes, the most important hydrocarbon degraders and their diverse metabolic pathways, including the use of various terminal electron acceptors and various electron transfer processes. The review primarily focuses on the achievements obtained by the current high-throughput (multi-omics) techniques which opened new perspectives in understanding the processes at the system level including the metabolic routes of individual strains, metabolic/electric interaction of the members of microbial communities. Based on the multi-omics techniques, novel metabolic blocks can be designed and used for the construction of microbial strains/consortia for efficient removal of hydrocarbons in anaerobic zones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krisztián Laczi
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Ágnes Erdeiné Kis
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.,Institute of Biophysics, Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Árpád Szilágyi
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Naila Bounedjoum
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.,Institute of Environmental and Technological Sciences, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Attila Bodor
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.,Institute of Biophysics, Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Hungary.,Institute of Environmental and Technological Sciences, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | | | - Tamás Kovács
- Department of Biotechnology, Nanophagetherapy Center, Enviroinvest Corporation, Pécs, Hungary
| | - Gábor Rákhely
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.,Institute of Biophysics, Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Hungary.,Institute of Environmental and Technological Sciences, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Katalin Perei
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.,Institute of Environmental and Technological Sciences, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
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8
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Genomic and phenotypic insights point to diverse ecological strategies by facultative anaerobes obtained from subsurface coal seams. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16186. [PMID: 31700097 PMCID: PMC6838118 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-52846-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbes in subsurface coal seams are responsible for the conversion of the organic matter in coal to methane, resulting in vast reserves of coal seam gas. This process is important from both environmental and economic perspectives as coal seam gas is rapidly becoming a popular fuel source worldwide and is a less carbon intensive fuel than coal. Despite the importance of this process, little is known about the roles of individual bacterial taxa in the microbial communities carrying out this process. Of particular interest is the role of members of the genus Pseudomonas, a typically aerobic taxa which is ubiquitous in coal seam microbial communities worldwide and which has been shown to be abundant at early time points in studies of ecological succession on coal. The current study performed aerobic isolations of coal seam microbial taxa generating ten facultative anaerobic isolates from three coal seam formation waters across eastern Australia. Subsequent genomic sequencing and phenotypic analysis revealed a range of ecological strategies and roles for these facultative anaerobes in biomass recycling, suggesting that this group of organisms is involved in the degradation of accumulated biomass in coal seams, funnelling nutrients back into the microbial communities degrading coal to methane.
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9
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Succession Patterns and Physical Niche Partitioning in Microbial Communities from Subsurface Coal Seams. iScience 2019; 12:152-167. [PMID: 30685711 PMCID: PMC6354743 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 10/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The subsurface represents a largely unexplored frontier in microbiology. Here, coal seams present something of an oasis for microbial life, providing moisture, warmth, and abundant fossilized organic material. Microbes in coal seams are thought to syntrophically mobilize fossilized carbon from the geosphere to the biosphere. Despite the environmental and economic importance of this process, little is known about the microbial ecology of coal seams. In the current study, ecological succession and spatial niche partitioning are explored in three coal seam microbial communities. Scanning electron microscopic visualization and 16S rRNA sequencing track changes in microbial communities over time, revealing distinct attached and planktonic communities displaying patterns of ecological succession. Attachment to the coal surface is biofilm mediated on Surat coal, whereas microbes on Sydney and Gunnedah coal show different attachment processes. This study demonstrates that coal seam microbial communities undergo spatial niche partitioning during periods of succession as microbes colonize coal environments. Coal surfaces and waters have distinctly different microbial communities Microbes attach to coal surfaces via multiple adhesion strategies Adhesion strategies include biofilm formation and direct cell attachment Coal microbe succession patterns provide insights into possible community roles
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10
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia U Welte
- Radboud University, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Department of Microbiology, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525AJ Nijmegen, Netherlands. Soehngen Institute of Anaerobic Microbiology, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525AJ Nijmegen, Netherlands.
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