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Danovaro R, Levin LA, Fanelli G, Scenna L, Corinaldesi C. Microbes as marine habitat formers and ecosystem engineers. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:1407-1419. [PMID: 38844822 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02407-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
Despite their small individual size, marine prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes can form large 3D structures and complex habitats. These habitats contribute to seafloor heterogeneity, facilitating colonization by animals and protists. They also provide food and refuge for a variety of species and promote novel ecological interactions. Here we illustrate the role of microbes as ecosystem engineers and propose a classification based on five types of habitat: microbial mats, microbial forests, microbial-mineralized habitats, microbial outcrops and microbial nodules. We also describe the metabolic processes of microbial habitat formers and their ecological roles, highlighting current gaps in knowledge. Their biogeography indicates that these habitats are widespread in all oceans and are continuously being discovered across latitudes and depths. These habitats are also expected to expand under future global change owing to their ability to exploit extreme environmental conditions. Given their high ecological relevance and their role in supporting endemic species and high biodiversity levels, microbial habitats should be included in future spatial planning, conservation and management measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Danovaro
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.
- National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy.
| | - Lisa A Levin
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ginevra Fanelli
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Scenna
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Cinzia Corinaldesi
- National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy.
- Department of Materials, Environmental Sciences and Urban Planning, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.
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2
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Liu R, Cai R, Wang M, Zhang J, Zhang H, Li C, Sun C. Metagenomic insights into Heimdallarchaeia clades from the deep-sea cold seep and hydrothermal vent. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2024; 19:43. [PMID: 38909236 PMCID: PMC11193907 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-024-00585-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/24/2024]
Abstract
Heimdallarchaeia is a class of the Asgardarchaeota, are the most probable candidates for the archaeal protoeukaryote ancestor that have been identified to date. However, little is known about their life habits regardless of their ubiquitous distribution in diverse habitats, which is especially true for Heimdallarchaeia from deep-sea environments. In this study, we obtained 13 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of Heimdallarchaeia from the deep-sea cold seep and hydrothermal vent. These MAGs belonged to orders o_Heimdallarchaeales and o_JABLTI01, and most of them (9 MAGs) come from the family f_Heimdallarchaeaceae according to genome taxonomy database (GTDB). These are enriched for common eukaryote-specific signatures. Our results show that these Heimdallarchaeia have the metabolic potential to reduce sulfate (assimilatory) and nitrate (dissimilatory) to sulfide and ammonia, respectively, suggesting a previously unappreciated role in biogeochemical cycling. Furthermore, we find that they could perform both TCA and rTCA pathways coupled with pyruvate metabolism for energy conservation, fix CO2 and generate organic compounds through an atypical Wood-Ljungdahl pathway. In addition, many genes closely associated with bacteriochlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis, and oxygen-dependent metabolic pathways are identified in these Heimdallarchaeia MAGs, suggesting a potential light-utilization by pigments and microoxic lifestyle. Taken together, our results indicate that Heimdallarchaeia possess a mixotrophic lifestyle, which may give them more flexibility to adapt to the harsh deep-sea conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Liu
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
- Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Ruining Cai
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
- Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Minxiao Wang
- Center of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China
- Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Huan Zhang
- Center of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
- Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Chaolun Li
- Center of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
- Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
| | - Chaomin Sun
- CAS and Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, China.
- Center of Deep Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
- Center of Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
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Ota Y, Iguchi A, Nishijima M, Mukai R, Suzumura M, Yoshioka H, Suzuki A, Tsukasaki A, Aoyagi T, Hori T. Methane diffusion affects characteristics of benthic communities in and around microbial mat-covered sediments in the northeastern Japan sea. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 349:140964. [PMID: 38128741 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
We investigated relationships between features of benthic macrofaunal communities and geochemical parameters in and around microbial mat-covered sediments associated with a methane seepage on Sakata Knoll in the eastern Japan Sea. A depression on top of the knoll corresponds to a gas-hydrate-bearing area with seepage of methane-rich fluid, and microbial mats cover the seafloor sediments. Sediment cores were collected at three sites for this study: one within a microbial mat, a second a few meters outside of the microbial mat, and a third from a reference site outside the gas-hydrate-bearing areas. Morphological analysis showed that the site inside the microbial mat had higher macrofaunal density and biomass compared with the other sites. 18S rRNA gene analysis showed that annelids were dominant in the surface sediment inside the microbial mat with the possible occurrence of microbial anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM), whereas in the surface sediments outside the microbial mat and at the reference site the predominant species belonged to phylum Cercozoa. Morphological analysis also showed that the surface sediment inside the microbial mat noticeably favored annelids, with dorvilleid Ophryotrocha sp. and ampharetid Neosabellides sp. identified as major constituents. Statistical analysis showed that sulfidic sediment conditions with concentrations of H2S up to 121 μM resulting from AOM likely resulted in the predominance of annelids with tolerance to sulfide. Both the 18S rRNA genes and macrofaunal characteristics showed that benthic biodiversity among the three sites was greatest outside the microbial mat. The site outside the microbial mat may represent geochemical transition conditions, including a lower rate of upward methane gas-flow compared with the site inside the microbial mat. The high biodiversity there might result from the presence of species specifically suited to the transition zone as well as species also found in photosynthesis-based communities of the background environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Ota
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Onogawa 16-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8561, Japan.
| | - Akira Iguchi
- Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Higashi 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan; Research Laboratory on Environmentally-Conscious Developments and Technologies [E-code], National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8567, Japan
| | - Miyuki Nishijima
- Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Higashi 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan
| | - Ryo Mukai
- Marine Biological Research Institute of Japan Co., Ltd, Yutaka-cho 4-3-16, Shinagawa, Tokyo, 142-0042, Japan
| | - Masahiro Suzumura
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Onogawa 16-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8561, Japan
| | - Hideyoshi Yoshioka
- Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Higashi 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan
| | - Atsushi Suzuki
- Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Higashi 1-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8567, Japan; Research Laboratory on Environmentally-Conscious Developments and Technologies [E-code], National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, 305-8567, Japan
| | - Ayumi Tsukasaki
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Onogawa 16-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8561, Japan
| | - Tomo Aoyagi
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Onogawa 16-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8561, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Hori
- Environmental Management Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Onogawa 16-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8561, Japan
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4
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Deep-sea organisms research oriented by deep-sea technologies development. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2022; 67:1802-1816. [PMID: 36546066 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2022.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Deep-sea environment, characterized by high pressures, extremely high/low temperatures, limited photosynthesis-generated organic matter, darkness, and high levels of corrosion, is home to flourishing special ecosystems in the world. Here, we illustrate how the deep-sea equipment offers insights into the study of life in the deep sea based on the work in the past five decades. We first describe how organisms in the deep sea are studied, even though it is highly difficult to get access to such extreme environments. We then explain the role of deep-sea technologies in advancing research on the evolution of organisms in hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, seamounts, oceanic trenches, and whale falls from the following perspectives: biological diversity, mechanisms of environmental adaptation, biological evolution, and ecosystem connectivity. Finally, to better understand the function and service of deep-sea organisms, and further conserve the special creatures under anthropologic activity and climate change, we highlight the importance of innovative deep-sea technologies to promote cutting-edge research on deep-sea organisms, and note the remaining challenges and developing directions for deep-sea equipment.
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Pereira OS, Gonzalez J, Mendoza G, Le J, McNeill M, Ontiveros J, Lee RW, Rouse GW, Cortés J, Levin LA. Does substrate matter in the deep sea? A comparison of bone, wood, and carbonate rock colonizers. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0271635. [PMID: 35857748 PMCID: PMC9299329 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Continental margins host methane seeps, animal falls and wood falls, with chemosynthetic communities that may share or exchange species. The goal of this study was to examine the existence and nature of linkages among chemosynthesis-based ecosystems by deploying organic fall mimics (bone and wood) alongside defaunated carbonate rocks within high and lesser levels of seepage activity for 7.4 years. We compared community composition, density, and trophic structure of invertebrates on these hard substrates at active methane seepage and transition (less seepage) sites at Mound 12 at ~1,000 m depth, a methane seep off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. At transition sites, the community composition on wood and bone was characteristic of natural wood- and whale-fall community composition, which rely on decay of the organic substrates. However, at active sites, seepage activity modified the relationship between fauna and substrate, seepage activity had a stronger effect in defining and homogenizing these communities and they depend less on organic decay. In contrast to community structure, macrofaunal trophic niche overlap between substrates, based on standard ellipse areas, was greater at transition sites than at active sites, except between rock and wood. Our observations suggest that whale- and wood-fall substrates can function as stepping stones for seep fauna even at later successional stages, providing hard substrate for attachment and chemosynthetic food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olívia S. Pereira
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Gonzalez
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Guillermo Mendoza
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Le
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Madison McNeill
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
- College of Health and Sciences, East Central University, Ada, Oklahoma, United States of America
| | - Jorge Ontiveros
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
- Instituto Tecnológico de Tijuana, Tijuana, Mexico
| | - Raymond W. Lee
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America
| | - Greg W. Rouse
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Jorge Cortés
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Lisa A. Levin
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
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6
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Inferring functional traits in a deep-sea wood-boring bivalve using dynamic energy budget theory. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22720. [PMID: 34811447 PMCID: PMC8608800 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02243-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
For species in the deep sea, there is a knowledge gap related to their functional traits at all stages of their life cycles. Dynamic energy budget (DEB) theory has been proven to be an efficient framework for estimating functional traits throughout a life cycle using simulation modelling. An abj-DEB model, which compared with the standard DEB model includes an extra juvenile stage between the embryo and the usual juvenile stages, has been successfully implemented for the deep-sea Atlantic woodeater Xylonora atlantica. Most of the core and primary parameter values of the model were in the range of those found for shallow marine bivalve species; however, in comparison to shallow marine bivalves, X. atlantica required less energy conductance and energy to reach the puberty stage for the same range of body sizes, and its maximum reserve capacity was higher. Consequently, its size at first reproduction was small, and better survival under starvation conditions was expected. A series of functional traits were simulated according to different scenarios of food density and temperature. The results showed a weak cumulative number of oocytes, a low growth rate and a small maximum body size but an extended pelagic larval duration under deep-sea environmental conditions. Moreover, DEB modelling helped explain that some male X. atlantica individuals remain dwarfs while still reproducing by changing their energy allocation during their ontogenetic development in favour of reproduction. The estimation of functional traits using DEB modelling will be useful in further deep-sea studies on the connectivity and resilience of populations.
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Ashford OS, Guan S, Capone D, Rigney K, Rowley K, Cordes EE, Cortés J, Rouse GW, Mendoza GF, Sweetman AK, Levin LA. Relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning proxies strengthen when approaching chemosynthetic deep-sea methane seeps. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210950. [PMID: 34403635 PMCID: PMC8370799 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
As biodiversity loss accelerates globally, understanding environmental influence over biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships becomes crucial for ecosystem management. Theory suggests that resource supply affects the shape of BEF relationships, but this awaits detailed investigation in marine ecosystems. Here, we use deep-sea chemosynthetic methane seeps and surrounding sediments as natural laboratories in which to contrast relationships between BEF proxies along with a gradient of trophic resource availability (higher resource methane seep, to lower resource photosynthetically fuelled deep-sea habitats). We determined sediment fauna taxonomic and functional trait biodiversity, and quantified bioturbation potential (BPc), calcification degree, standing stock and density as ecosystem functioning proxies. Relationships were strongly unimodal in chemosynthetic seep habitats, but were undetectable in transitional 'chemotone' habitats and photosynthetically dependent deep-sea habitats. In seep habitats, ecosystem functioning proxies peaked below maximum biodiversity, perhaps suggesting that a small number of specialized species are important in shaping this relationship. This suggests that absolute biodiversity is not a good metric of ecosystem 'value' at methane seeps, and that these deep-sea environments may require special management to maintain ecosystem functioning under human disturbance. We promote further investigation of BEF relationships in non-traditional resource environments and emphasize that deep-sea conservation should consider 'functioning hotspots' alongside biodiversity hotspots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver S Ashford
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92007, USA
| | - Shuzhe Guan
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92007, USA
| | - Dante Capone
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92007, USA.,University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Katherine Rigney
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92007, USA.,Carleton College, Northfield, MN 55057, USA
| | - Katelynn Rowley
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92007, USA
| | - Erik E Cordes
- Department of Biology, Temple University, Temple, PA 19122, USA
| | - Jorge Cortés
- CIMAR, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Greg W Rouse
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92007, USA
| | - Guillermo F Mendoza
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92007, USA
| | - Andrew K Sweetman
- The Lyell Centre for Earth and Marine Science and Technology, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Lisa A Levin
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92007, USA.,Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
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8
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Cramm MA, Neves BDM, Manning CCM, Oldenburg TBP, Archambault P, Chakraborty A, Cyr-Parent A, Edinger EN, Jaggi A, Mort A, Tortell P, Hubert CRJ. Characterization of marine microbial communities around an Arctic seabed hydrocarbon seep at Scott Inlet, Baffin Bay. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 762:143961. [PMID: 33373752 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Seabed hydrocarbon seeps present natural laboratories for investigating responses of marine ecosystems to petroleum input. A hydrocarbon seep near Scott Inlet, Baffin Bay, was visited for in situ observations and sampling in the summer of 2018. Video evidence of an active hydrocarbon seep was confirmed by methane and hydrocarbon analysis of the overlying water column, which is 260 m at this site. Elevated methane concentrations in bottom water above and down current from the seep decreased to background seawater levels in the mid-water column >150 m above the seafloor. Seafloor microbial mats morphologically resembling sulfide-oxidizing bacteria surrounded areas of bubble ebullition. Calcareous tube worms, brittle stars, shrimp, sponges, sea stars, sea anemones, sea urchins, small fish and soft corals were observed near the seep, with soft corals showing evidence for hydrocarbon incorporation. Sediment microbial communities included putative methane-oxidizing Methyloprofundus, sulfate-reducing Desulfobulbaceae and sulfide-oxidizing Sulfurovum. A metabolic gene diagnostic for aerobic methanotrophs (pmoA) was detected in the sediment and bottom water above the seep epicentre and up to 5 km away. Both 16S rRNA gene and pmoA amplicon sequencing revealed that pelagic microbial communities oriented along the geologic basement rise associated with methane seepage (running SW to NE) differed from communities in off-axis water up to 5 km away. Relative abundances of aerobic methanotrophs and putative hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria were elevated in the bottom water down current from the seep. Detection of bacterial clades typically associated with hydrocarbon and methane oxidation highlights the importance of Arctic marine microbial communities in mitigating hydrocarbon emissions from natural geologic sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret A Cramm
- Geomicrobiology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada.
| | - Bárbara de Moura Neves
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ecological Sciences Section, 80 East White Hills Road, P.O. Box 5667, St. John's, Newfoundland A1C 5X1, Canada
| | - Cara C M Manning
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Thomas B P Oldenburg
- Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Philippe Archambault
- ArcticNet, Québec Océan, Takuvik Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Anirban Chakraborty
- Geomicrobiology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Annie Cyr-Parent
- Department of Economic Development and Transportation, Government of Nunavut, Building 1104A, Inuksugait Plaza, PO Box 1000, Station 1500, Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0, Canada
| | - Evan N Edinger
- Memorial University of Newfoundland, 230 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John's, Newfoundland A1C 5S7, Canada
| | - Aprami Jaggi
- Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Andrew Mort
- Natural Resources Canada, 3303 33 Street NW, Calgary, Alberta T2L 2A7, Canada
| | - Philippe Tortell
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Casey R J Hubert
- Geomicrobiology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
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Marine Gas Hydrate Geohazard Assessment on the European Continental Margins. The Impact of Critical Knowledge Gaps. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/app11062865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents a geohazard assessment along the European continental margins and adjacent areas. This assessment is understood in the framework of the seafloor’s susceptibility to (i.e., likelihood of) being affected by the presence of hydrate deposits and the subsequent hazardous dissociation processes (liquefaction, explosion, collapse, crater-like depressions or submarine landslides). Geological and geophysical evidence and indicators of marine gas hydrates in the theoretical gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) were taken into account as the main factors controlling the susceptibility calculation. Svalbald, the Barents Sea, the mid-Norwegian margin-northwest British Islands, the Gulf of Cádiz, the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea have the highest susceptibility. Seafloor areas outside the theoretical GHSZ were excluded from this geohazard assessment. The uncertainty analysis of the susceptibility inference shows extensive seafloor areas with no data and a very low density of data that are defined as critical knowledge gaps.
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10
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Georgieva MN, Taboada S, Riesgo A, Díez-Vives C, De Leo FC, Jeffreys RM, Copley JT, Little CTS, Ríos P, Cristobo J, Hestetun JT, Glover AG. Evidence of Vent-Adaptation in Sponges Living at the Periphery of Hydrothermal Vent Environments: Ecological and Evolutionary Implications. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1636. [PMID: 32793148 PMCID: PMC7393317 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The peripheral areas of deep-sea hydrothermal vents are often inhabited by an assemblage of animals distinct to those living close to vent chimneys. For many such taxa, it is considered that peak abundances in the vent periphery relate to the availability of hard substrate as well as the increased concentrations of organic matter generated at vents, compared to background areas. However, the peripheries of vents are less well-studied than the assemblages of vent-endemic taxa, and the mechanisms through which peripheral fauna may benefit from vent environments are generally unknown. Understanding this is crucial for evaluating the sphere of influence of hydrothermal vents and managing the impacts of future human activity within these environments, as well as offering insights into the processes of metazoan adaptation to vents. In this study, we explored the evolutionary histories, microbiomes and nutritional sources of two distantly-related sponge types living at the periphery of active hydrothermal vents in two different geological settings (Cladorhiza from the E2 vent site on the East Scotia Ridge, Southern Ocean, and Spinularia from the Endeavour vent site on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, North-East Pacific) to examine their relationship to nearby venting. Our results uncovered a close sister relationship between the majority of our E2 Cladorhiza specimens and the species Cladorhiza methanophila, known to harbor and obtain nutrition from methanotrophic symbionts at cold seeps. Our microbiome analyses demonstrated that both E2 Cladorhiza and Endeavour Spinularia sp. are associated with putative chemosynthetic Gammaproteobacteria, including Thioglobaceae (present in both sponge types) and Methylomonaceae (present in Spinularia sp.). These bacteria are closely related to chemoautotrophic symbionts of bathymodiolin mussels. Both vent-peripheral sponges demonstrate carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures consistent with contributions to nutrition from chemosynthesis. This study expands the number of known associations between metazoans and potentially chemosynthetic Gammaproteobacteria, indicating that they can be incredibly widespread and also occur away from the immediate vicinity of chemosynthetic environments in the vent-periphery, where these sponges may be adapted to benefit from dispersed vent fluids.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sergi Taboada
- Life Sciences Department, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
- Departamento de Biología (Zoología), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Riesgo
- Life Sciences Department, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Fabio C. De Leo
- Ocean Networks Canada, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Rachel M. Jeffreys
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan T. Copley
- School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Crispin T. S. Little
- Life Sciences Department, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Pilar Ríos
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain
- Centro Oceanográfico de Santander, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Santander, Spain
| | - Javier Cristobo
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain
- Centro Oceanográfico de Gijón, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Gijón, Spain
| | - Jon T. Hestetun
- NORCE Environment, Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE), Bergen, Norway
| | - Adrian G. Glover
- Life Sciences Department, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
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11
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Domingues PM, Oliveira V, Serafim LS, Gomes NCM, Cunha Â. Biosurfactant Production in Sub-Oxic Conditions Detected in Hydrocarbon-Degrading Isolates from Marine and Estuarine Sediments. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17051746. [PMID: 32156011 PMCID: PMC7084516 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17051746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Hydrocarbon bioremediation in anoxic sediment layers is still challenging not only because it involves metabolic pathways with lower energy yields but also because the production of biosurfactants that contribute to the dispersion of the pollutant is limited by oxygen availability. This work aims at screening populations of culturable hydrocarbonoclastic and biosurfactant (BSF) producing bacteria from deep sub-seafloor sediments (mud volcanos from Gulf of Cadiz) and estuarine sub-surface sediments (Ria de Aveiro) for strains with potential to operate in sub-oxic conditions. Isolates were retrieved from anaerobic selective cultures in which crude oil was provided as sole carbon source and different supplements were provided as electron acceptors. Twelve representative isolates were obtained from selective cultures with deep-sea and estuary sediments, six from each. These were identified by sequencing of 16S rRNA gene fragments belonging to Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Ochrobactrum, Brevundimonas, Psychrobacter, Staphylococcus, Marinobacter and Curtobacterium genera. BSF production by the isolates was tested by atomized oil assay, surface tension measurement and determination of the emulsification index. All isolates were able to produce BSFs under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, except for isolate DS27 which only produced BSF under aerobic conditions. These isolates presented potential to be applied in bioremediation or microbial enhanced oil recovery strategies under conditions of oxygen limitation. For the first time, members of Ochrobactrum, Brevundimonas, Psychrobacter, Staphylococcus, Marinobacter and Curtobacterium genera are described as anaerobic producers of BSFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia M. Domingues
- Department of Chemistry and CICECO, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
- Department of Biology and CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Vanessa Oliveira
- Department of Biology and CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | | | - Newton C. M. Gomes
- Department of Biology and CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Ângela Cunha
- Department of Biology and CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +351-234-370-784
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12
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Tarnovetskii IY, Merkel AY, Pimenov NV. Analysis of Cultured Methanogenic Archaea from the Tarkhankut Peninsula Coastal Methane Seeps. Microbiology (Reading) 2020. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026261719060183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
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13
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Pasulka A, Hu SK, Countway PD, Coyne KJ, Cary SC, Heidelberg KB, Caron DA. SSU-rRNA Gene Sequencing Survey of Benthic Microbial Eukaryotes from Guaymas Basin Hydrothermal Vent. J Eukaryot Microbiol 2019; 66:637-653. [PMID: 30620427 DOI: 10.1111/jeu.12711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Revised: 12/09/2018] [Accepted: 12/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Microbial eukaryotes have important roles in marine food webs, but their diversity and activities in hydrothermal vent ecosystems are poorly characterized. In this study, we analyzed microbial eukaryotic communities associated with bacterial (Beggiatoa) mats in the 2,000 m deep-sea Guaymas Basin hydrothermal vent system using 18S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing of the V4 region. We detected 6,954 distinct Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) across various mat systems. Of the sequences that aligned with known protistan phylotypes, most were affiliated with alveolates (especially dinoflagellates and ciliates) and cercozoans. OTU richness and community structure differed among sediment habitats (e.g. different mat types and cold sediments away from mats). Additionally, full-length 18S rRNA genes amplified and cloned from single cells revealed the identities of some of the most commonly encountered, active ciliates in this hydrothermal vent ecosystem. Observations and experiments were also conducted to demonstrate that ciliates were trophically active and ingesting fluorescent bacteria or Beggiatoa trichomes. Our work suggests that the active and diverse protistan community at the Guaymas Basin hydrothermal vent ecosystem likely consumes substantial amounts of bacterial biomass, and that the different habitats, often defined by distances of just a few 10s of cm, select for particular assemblages and levels of diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Pasulka
- Biological Sciences Department, California Polytechnic State University, 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, California, USA
| | - Sarah K Hu
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, 3616 Trousdale Parkway, AHF 301 Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Peter D Countway
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, 60 Bigelow Drive, East Boothbay, Maine, USA
| | - Kathryn J Coyne
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, University of Delaware, 700 Pilottown Road, Lewes, Delaware, USA
| | - Stephen C Cary
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - Karla B Heidelberg
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, 3616 Trousdale Parkway, AHF 301 Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - David A Caron
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, 3616 Trousdale Parkway, AHF 301 Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
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14
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Eilertsen MH, Kongsrud JA, Alvestad T, Stiller J, Rouse GW, Rapp HT. Do ampharetids take sedimented steps between vents and seeps? Phylogeny and habitat-use of Ampharetidae (Annelida, Terebelliformia) in chemosynthesis-based ecosystems. BMC Evol Biol 2017; 17:222. [PMID: 29089027 PMCID: PMC5664827 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-017-1065-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A range of higher animal taxa are shared across various chemosynthesis-based ecosystems (CBEs), which demonstrates the evolutionary link between these habitats, but on a global scale the number of species inhabiting multiple CBEs is low. The factors shaping the distributions and habitat specificity of animals within CBEs are poorly understood, but geographic proximity of habitats, depth and substratum have been suggested as important. Biogeographic studies have indicated that intermediate habitats such as sedimented vents play an important part in the diversification of taxa within CBEs, but this has not been assessed in a phylogenetic framework. Ampharetid annelids are one of the most commonly encountered animal groups in CBEs, making them a good model taxon to study the evolution of habitat use in heterotrophic animals. Here we present a review of the habitat use of ampharetid species in CBEs, and a multi-gene phylogeny of Ampharetidae, with increased taxon sampling compared to previous studies. RESULTS The review of microhabitats showed that many ampharetid species have a wide niche in terms of temperature and substratum. Depth may be limiting some species to a certain habitat, and trophic ecology and/or competition are identified as other potentially relevant factors. The phylogeny revealed that ampharetids have adapted into CBEs at least four times independently, with subsequent diversification, and shifts between ecosystems have happened in each of these clades. Evolutionary transitions are found to occur both from seep to vent and vent to seep, and the results indicate a role of sedimented vents in the transition between bare-rock vents and seeps. CONCLUSION The high number of ampharetid species recently described from CBEs, and the putative new species included in the present phylogeny, indicates that there is considerable diversity still to be discovered. This study provides a molecular framework for future studies to build upon and identifies some ecological and evolutionary hypotheses to be tested as new data is produced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mari H Eilertsen
- Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep-Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Jon A Kongsrud
- Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Tom Alvestad
- Department of Natural History, University Museum of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Josefin Stiller
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, California, USA
| | - Greg W Rouse
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, California, USA
| | - Hans T Rapp
- Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- K.G. Jebsen Centre for Deep-Sea Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Uni Research, Uni Environment, Bergen, Norway
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15
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Hydrothermal activity, functional diversity and chemoautotrophy are major drivers of seafloor carbon cycling. Sci Rep 2017; 7:12025. [PMID: 28931949 PMCID: PMC5607325 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12291-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrothermal vents are highly dynamic ecosystems and are unusually energy rich in the deep-sea. In situ hydrothermal-based productivity combined with sinking photosynthetic organic matter in a soft-sediment setting creates geochemically diverse environments, which remain poorly studied. Here, we use comprehensive set of new and existing field observations to develop a quantitative ecosystem model of a deep-sea chemosynthetic ecosystem from the most southerly hydrothermal vent system known. We find evidence of chemosynthetic production supplementing the metazoan food web both at vent sites and elsewhere in the Bransfield Strait. Endosymbiont-bearing fauna were very important in supporting the transfer of chemosynthetic carbon into the food web, particularly to higher trophic levels. Chemosynthetic production occurred at all sites to varying degrees but was generally only a small component of the total organic matter inputs to the food web, even in the most hydrothermally active areas, owing in part to a low and patchy density of vent-endemic fauna. Differences between relative abundance of faunal functional groups, resulting from environmental variability, were clear drivers of differences in biogeochemical cycling and resulted in substantially different carbon processing patterns between habitats.
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16
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Goffredi SK, Johnson S, Tunnicliffe V, Caress D, Clague D, Escobar E, Lundsten L, Paduan JB, Rouse G, Salcedo DL, Soto LA, Spelz-Madero R, Zierenberg R, Vrijenhoek R. Hydrothermal vent fields discovered in the southern Gulf of California clarify role of habitat in augmenting regional diversity. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:20170817. [PMID: 28724734 PMCID: PMC5543219 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 06/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrothermal vent communities are distributed along mid-ocean spreading ridges as isolated patches. While distance is a key factor influencing connectivity among sites, habitat characteristics are also critical. The Pescadero Basin (PB) and Alarcón Rise (AR) vent fields, recently discovered in the southern Gulf of California, are bounded by previously known vent localities (e.g. Guaymas Basin and 21° N East Pacific Rise); yet, the newly discovered vents differ markedly in substrata and vent fluid attributes. Out of 116 macrofaunal species observed or collected, only three species are shared among all four vent fields, while 73 occur at only one locality. Foundation species at basalt-hosted sulfide chimneys on the AR differ from the functional equivalents inhabiting sediment-hosted carbonate chimneys in the PB, only 75 km away. The dominant species of symbiont-hosting tubeworms and clams, and peripheral suspension-feeding taxa, differ between the sites. Notably, the PB vents host a limited and specialized fauna in which 17 of 26 species are unknown at other regional vents and many are new species. Rare sightings and captured larvae of the 'missing' species revealed that dispersal limitation is not responsible for differences in community composition at the neighbouring vent localities. Instead, larval recruitment-limiting habitat suitability probably favours species differentially. As scenarios develop to design conservation strategies around mining of seafloor sulfide deposits, these results illustrate that models encompassing habitat characteristics are needed to predict metacommunity structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shana K Goffredi
- Department of Biology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA, USA
| | - Shannon Johnson
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA, USA
| | - Verena Tunnicliffe
- School of Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - David Caress
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA, USA
| | - David Clague
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA, USA
| | - Elva Escobar
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Lonny Lundsten
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA, USA
| | | | - Greg Rouse
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Diana L Salcedo
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Luis A Soto
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Ronald Spelz-Madero
- Department of Geology, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Robert Zierenberg
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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17
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Bernardino AF, Li Y, Smith CR, Halanych KM. Multiple introns in a deep-sea Annelid (Decemunciger: Ampharetidae) mitochondrial genome. Sci Rep 2017; 7:4295. [PMID: 28655915 PMCID: PMC5487361 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-04094-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 05/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Wood falls provide episodic fluxes of energy to the sea floor that are degraded by a species-rich benthic fauna. Part of this rich diversity includes annelid polychaetes but unfortunately, our understanding of such fauna is limited and their genetic variability and evolutionary origins remain poorly known. In this study, we sequenced complete mitochondrial genomes from three congeneric Decemunciger (Ampharetidae) individuals that had colonized multiple wood falls in the deep (~1600 m) NE Pacific Ocean. Mitochondrial gene order within Decemunciger was similar to the three other available Terebellomorpha genomes, consistent with the relatively conserved nature of mitochondrial genomes within annelids. Unexpectedly, we found introns within the cox1, nad1 and nad4 genes of all three genomes assembled. This is the greatest number of introns observed in annelid mtDNA genomes, and possibly in bilaterians. Interestingly, the introns were of variable sizes suggesting possible evolutionary differences in the age and origins of introns. The sequence of the introns within cox1 is similar to Group II introns previously identified, suggesting that introns in the mitochondrial genome of annelids may be more widespread then realized. Phylogenetically, Decemunciger appears to be a sister clade among current vent and seep deep-sea Ampharetinae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelo F Bernardino
- Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Grupo de Ecologia Bêntica, Departamento de Oceanografia, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, Vitória, ES, 29075-910, Brazil.
| | - Yuanning Li
- Auburn University, Department of Biological Sciences, 101 Life Sciences Building, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
| | - Craig R Smith
- Department of Oceanography, SOEST, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1000 Pope Road, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA
| | - Kenneth M Halanych
- Auburn University, Department of Biological Sciences, 101 Life Sciences Building, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA.
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18
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Postglacial response of Arctic Ocean gas hydrates to climatic amelioration. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:6215-6220. [PMID: 28584081 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1619288114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Seafloor methane release due to the thermal dissociation of gas hydrates is pervasive across the continental margins of the Arctic Ocean. Furthermore, there is increasing awareness that shallow hydrate-related methane seeps have appeared due to enhanced warming of Arctic Ocean bottom water during the last century. Although it has been argued that a gas hydrate gun could trigger abrupt climate change, the processes and rates of subsurface/atmospheric natural gas exchange remain uncertain. Here we investigate the dynamics between gas hydrate stability and environmental changes from the height of the last glaciation through to the present day. Using geophysical observations from offshore Svalbard to constrain a coupled ice sheet/gas hydrate model, we identify distinct phases of subglacial methane sequestration and subsequent release on ice sheet retreat that led to the formation of a suite of seafloor domes. Reconstructing the evolution of this dome field, we find that incursions of warm Atlantic bottom water forced rapid gas hydrate dissociation and enhanced methane emissions during the penultimate Heinrich event, the Bølling and Allerød interstadials, and the Holocene optimum. Our results highlight the complex interplay between the cryosphere, geosphere, and atmosphere over the last 30,000 y that led to extensive changes in subseafloor carbon storage that forced distinct episodes of methane release due to natural climate variability well before recent anthropogenic warming.
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19
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Tobler M, Passow CN, Greenway R, Kelley JL, Shaw JH. The Evolutionary Ecology of Animals Inhabiting Hydrogen Sulfide–Rich Environments. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2016. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-121415-032418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a respiratory toxicant that creates extreme environments tolerated by few organisms. H2S is also produced endogenously by metazoans and plays a role in cell signaling. The mechanisms of H2S toxicity and its physiological functions serve as a basis to discuss the multifarious strategies that allow animals to survive in H2S-rich environments. Despite their toxicity, H2S-rich environments also provide ecological opportunities, and complex selective regimes of covarying abiotic and biotic factors drive trait evolution in organisms inhabiting H2S-rich environments. Furthermore, adaptation to H2S-rich environments can drive speciation, giving rise to biodiversity hot spots with high levels of endemism in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, and freshwater sulfide springs. The diversity of H2S-rich environments and their inhabitants provides ideal systems for comparative studies of the effects of a clear-cut source of selection across vast geographic and phylogenetic scales, ultimately informing our understanding of how environmental stressors affect ecological and evolutionary processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Tobler
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506
| | | | - Ryan Greenway
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506
| | - Joanna L. Kelley
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164
| | - Jennifer H. Shaw
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078
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20
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Portail M, Olu K, Dubois SF, Escobar-Briones E, Gelinas Y, Menot L, Sarrazin J. Food-Web Complexity in Guaymas Basin Hydrothermal Vents and Cold Seeps. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0162263. [PMID: 27683216 PMCID: PMC5040445 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2015] [Accepted: 08/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In the Guaymas Basin, the presence of cold seeps and hydrothermal vents in close proximity, similar sedimentary settings and comparable depths offers a unique opportunity to assess and compare the functioning of these deep-sea chemosynthetic ecosystems. The food webs of five seep and four vent assemblages were studied using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses. Although the two ecosystems shared similar potential basal sources, their food webs differed: seeps relied predominantly on methanotrophy and thiotrophy via the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle and vents on petroleum-derived organic matter and thiotrophy via the CBB and reductive tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycles. In contrast to symbiotic species, the heterotrophic fauna exhibited high trophic flexibility among assemblages, suggesting weak trophic links to the metabolic diversity of chemosynthetic primary producers. At both ecosystems, food webs did not appear to be organised through predator-prey links but rather through weak trophic relationships among co-occurring species. Examples of trophic or spatial niche differentiation highlighted the importance of species-sorting processes within chemosynthetic ecosystems. Variability in food web structure, addressed through Bayesian metrics, revealed consistent trends across ecosystems. Food-web complexity significantly decreased with increasing methane concentrations, a common proxy for the intensity of seep and vent fluid fluxes. Although high fluid-fluxes have the potential to enhance primary productivity, they generate environmental constraints that may limit microbial diversity, colonisation of consumers and the structuring role of competitive interactions, leading to an overall reduction of food-web complexity and an increase in trophic redundancy. Heterogeneity provided by foundation species was identified as an additional structuring factor. According to their biological activities, foundation species may have the potential to partly release the competitive pressure within communities of low fluid-flux habitats. Finally, ecosystem functioning in vents and seeps was highly similar despite environmental differences (e.g. physico-chemistry, dominant basal sources) suggesting that ecological niches are not specifically linked to the nature of fluids. This comparison of seep and vent functioning in the Guaymas basin thus provides further supports to the hypothesis of continuity among deep-sea chemosynthetic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Portail
- Laboratoire Environnement Profond, REM/EEP, Institut Carnot Ifremer EDROME, Centre de Bretagne, Plouzané, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Karine Olu
- Laboratoire Environnement Profond, REM/EEP, Institut Carnot Ifremer EDROME, Centre de Bretagne, Plouzané, France
| | - Stanislas F. Dubois
- Laboratoire Ecologie Benthique, DYNECO, Ifremer, Centre de Bretagne, Plouzané, France
| | - Elva Escobar-Briones
- Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City D.F., Mexico
| | - Yves Gelinas
- GEOTOP and Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Lénaick Menot
- Laboratoire Environnement Profond, REM/EEP, Institut Carnot Ifremer EDROME, Centre de Bretagne, Plouzané, France
| | - Jozée Sarrazin
- Laboratoire Environnement Profond, REM/EEP, Institut Carnot Ifremer EDROME, Centre de Bretagne, Plouzané, France
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21
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Bell JB, Aquilina A, Woulds C, Glover AG, Little CTS, Reid W, Hepburn LE, Newton J, Mills RA. Geochemistry, faunal composition and trophic structure in reducing sediments on the southwest South Georgia margin. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2016; 3:160284. [PMID: 27703692 PMCID: PMC5043311 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Accepted: 08/25/2016] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Despite a number of studies in areas of focused methane seepage, the extent of transitional sediments of more diffuse methane seepage, and their influence upon biological communities is poorly understood. We investigated an area of reducing sediments with elevated levels of methane on the South Georgia margin around 250 m depth and report data from a series of geochemical and biological analyses. Here, the geochemical signatures were consistent with weak methane seepage and the role of sub-surface methane consumption was clearly very important, preventing gas emissions into bottom waters. As a result, the contribution of methane-derived carbon to the microbial and metazoan food webs was very limited, although sulfur isotopic signatures indicated a wider range of dietary contributions than was apparent from carbon isotope ratios. Macrofaunal assemblages had high dominance and were indicative of reducing sediments, with many taxa common to other similar environments and no seep-endemic fauna, indicating transitional assemblages. Also similar to other cold seep areas, there were samples of authigenic carbonate, but rather than occurring as pavements or sedimentary concretions, these carbonates were restricted to patches on the shells of Axinulus antarcticus (Bivalvia, Thyasiridae), which is suggestive of microbe-metazoan interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- James B. Bell
- School of Geography and Water@Leeds, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
- Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Author for correspondence: James B. Bell e-mail:
| | - Alfred Aquilina
- Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
| | - Clare Woulds
- School of Geography and Water@Leeds, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Adrian G. Glover
- Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | | | | | - Laura E. Hepburn
- Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
| | - Jason Newton
- NERC Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry Facility, SUERC, East Kilbride G75 0QF, UK
| | - Rachel A. Mills
- Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
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22
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Huang C, Schaeffer SW, Fisher CR, Cowart DA. Investigation of population structure in Gulf of Mexico Seepiophila jonesi (Polychaeta, Siboglinidae) using cross-amplified microsatellite loci. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2366. [PMID: 27635334 PMCID: PMC5012325 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vestimentiferan tubeworms are some of the most recognizable fauna found at deep-sea cold seeps, isolated environments where hydrocarbon rich fluids fuel biological communities. Several studies have investigated tubeworm population structure; however, much is still unknown about larval dispersal patterns at Gulf of Mexico (GoM) seeps. As such, researchers have applied microsatellite markers as a measure for documenting the transport of vestimentiferan individuals. In the present study, we investigate the utility of microsatellites to be cross-amplified within the escarpiid clade of seep vestimentiferans, by determining if loci originally developed for Escarpia spp. could be amplified in the GoM seep tubeworm, Seepiophila jonesi. Additionally, we determine if cross-amplified loci can reliably uncover the same signatures of high gene flow seen in a previous investigation of S. jonesi. METHODS Seventy-seven S. jonesi individuals were collected from eight seep sites across the upper Louisiana slope (<1,000 m) in the GoM. Forty-eight microsatellite loci that were originally developed for Escarpia laminata (18 loci) and Escarpia southwardae (30 loci) were tested to determine if they were homologous and polymorphic in S. jonesi. Loci found to be both polymorphic and of high quality were used to test for significant population structuring in S. jonesi. RESULTS Microsatellite pre-screening identified 13 (27%) of the Escarpia loci were homologous and polymorphic in S. jonesi, revealing that microsatellites can be amplified within the escarpiid clade of vestimentiferans. Our findings uncovered low levels of heterozygosity and a lack of genetic differentiation amongst S. jonesi from various sites and regions, in line with previous investigations that employed species-specific polymorphic loci on S. jonesi individuals retrieved from both the same and different seep sites. The lack of genetic structure identified from these populations supports the presence of significant gene flow via larval dispersal in mixed oceanic currents. DISCUSSION The ability to develop "universal" microsatellites reduces the costs associated with these analyses and allows researchers to track and investigate a wider array of taxa, which is particularly useful for organisms living at inaccessible locations such as the deep sea. Our study highlights that non-species specific microsatellites can be amplified across large evolutionary distances and still yield similar findings as species-specific loci. Further, these results show that S. jonesi collected from various localities in the GoM represents a single panmictic population, suggesting that dispersal of lecithotrophic larvae by deep sea currents is sufficient to homogenize populations. These data are consistent with the high levels of gene flow seen in Escarpia spp., which advocates that differences in microhabitats of seep localities lead to variation in biogeography of separate species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunya Huang
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Stephen W. Schaeffer
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Charles R. Fisher
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Dominique A. Cowart
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Current affiliation: Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
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Levin LA, Mendoza GF, Grupe BM, Gonzalez JP, Jellison B, Rouse G, Thurber AR, Waren A. Biodiversity on the Rocks: Macrofauna Inhabiting Authigenic Carbonate at Costa Rica Methane Seeps. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0131080. [PMID: 26158723 PMCID: PMC4497642 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0131080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2015] [Accepted: 05/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbonate communities: The activity of anaerobic methane oxidizing microbes facilitates precipitation of vast quantities of authigenic carbonate at methane seeps. Here we demonstrate the significant role of carbonate rocks in promoting diversity by providing unique habitat and food resources for macrofaunal assemblages at seeps on the Costa Rica margin (400–1850 m). The attendant fauna is surprisingly similar to that in rocky intertidal shores, with numerous grazing gastropods (limpets and snails) as dominant taxa. However, the community feeds upon seep-associated microbes. Macrofaunal density, composition, and diversity on carbonates vary as a function of seepage activity, biogenic habitat and location. The macrofaunal community of carbonates at non-seeping (inactive) sites is strongly related to the hydrography (depth, temperature, O2) of overlying water, whereas the fauna at sites of active seepage is not. Densities are highest on active rocks from tubeworm bushes and mussel beds, particularly at the Mound 12 location (1000 m). Species diversity is higher on rocks exposed to active seepage, with multiple species of gastropods and polychaetes dominant, while crustaceans, cnidarians, and ophiuroids were better represented on rocks at inactive sites. Macro-infauna (larger than 0.3 mm) from tube cores taken in nearby seep sediments at comparable depths exhibited densities similar to those on carbonate rocks, but had lower diversity and different taxonomic composition. Seep sediments had higher densities of ampharetid, dorvilleid, hesionid, cirratulid and lacydoniid polychaetes, whereas carbonates had more gastropods, as well as syllid, chrysopetalid and polynoid polychaetes. Stable isotope signatures and metrics: The stable isotope signatures of carbonates were heterogeneous, as were the food sources and nutrition used by the animals. Carbonate δ13Cinorg values (mean = -26.98‰) ranged from -53.3‰ to +10.0‰, and were significantly heavier than carbonate δ13Corg (mean = -33.83‰), which ranged from -74.4‰ to -20.6‰. Invertebrates on carbonates had average δ13C (per rock) = -31.0‰ (range -18.5‰ to -46.5‰) and δ15N = 5.7‰ (range -4.5‰ to +13.4‰). Average δ13C values did not differ between active and inactive sites; carbonate fauna from both settings depend on chemosynthesis-based nutrition. Community metrics reflecting trophic diversity (SEAc, total Hull Area, ranges of δ13C and δ15N) and species packing (mean distance to centroid, nearest neighbor distance) also did not vary as a function of seepage activity or site. However, distinct isotopic signatures were observed among related, co-occurring species of gastropods and polychaetes, reflecting intense microbial resource partitioning. Overall, the substrate and nutritional heterogeneity introduced by authigenic seep carbonates act to promote diverse, uniquely adapted assemblages, even after seepage ceases. The macrofauna in these ecosystems remain largely overlooked in most surveys, but are major contributors to biodiversity of chemosynthetic ecosystems and the deep sea in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa A. Levin
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Guillermo F. Mendoza
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Benjamin M. Grupe
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Jennifer P. Gonzalez
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Brittany Jellison
- Integrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Greg Rouse
- Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Andrew R. Thurber
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, 04 CEOAS Administration Building, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Anders Waren
- Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
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Bryson SJ, Thurber AR, Correa AMS, Orphan VJ, Vega Thurber R. A novel sister clade to the enterobacteria microviruses (family Microviridae) identified in methane seep sediments. Environ Microbiol 2015; 17:3708-21. [PMID: 25640518 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2014] [Revised: 12/15/2014] [Accepted: 12/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Methane seep microbial communities perform a key ecosystem service by consuming the greenhouse gas methane prior to its release into the hydrosphere, minimizing the impact of marine methane sources on our climate. Although previous studies have examined the ecology and biochemistry of these communities, none has examined viral assemblages associated with these habitats. We employed virus particle purification, genome amplification, pyrosequencing and gene/genome reconstruction and annotation on two metagenomic libraries, one prepared for ssDNA and the other for all DNA, to identify the viral community in a methane seep. Similarity analysis of these libraries (raw and assembled) revealed a community dominated by phages, with a significant proportion of similarities to the Microviridae family of ssDNA phages. We define these viruses as the Eel River Basin Microviridae (ERBM). Assembly and comparison of 21 ERBM closed circular genomes identified five as members of a novel sister clade to the Microvirus genus of Enterobacteria phages. Comparisons among other metagenomes and these Microviridae major-capsid sequences indicated that this clade of phages is currently unique to the Eel River Basin sediments. Given this ERBM clade's relationship to the Microviridae genus Microvirus, we define this sister clade as the candidate genus Pequeñovirus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Joseph Bryson
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, 454 Nash Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Andrew R Thurber
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, 454 Nash Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
| | - Adrienne M S Correa
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, 454 Nash Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Victoria J Orphan
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Rebecca Vega Thurber
- Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, 454 Nash Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA
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25
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Differences in life-histories refute ecological equivalence of cryptic species and provide clues to the origin of bathyal Halomonhystera (Nematoda). PLoS One 2014; 9:e111889. [PMID: 25384013 PMCID: PMC4226489 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2014] [Accepted: 10/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery of morphologically very similar but genetically distinct species complicates a proper understanding of the link between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Cryptic species have been frequently observed to co-occur and are thus expected to be ecological equivalent. The marine nematode Halomonhystera disjuncta contains five cryptic species (GD1-5) that co-occur in the Westerschelde estuary. In this study, we investigated the effect of three abiotic factors (salinity, temperature and sulphide) on life-history traits of three cryptic H. disjuncta species (GD1-3). Our results show that temperature had the most profound influence on all life-cycle parameters compared to a smaller effect of salinity. Life-history traits of closely related cryptic species were differentially affected by temperature, salinity and presence of sulphides which shows that cryptic H. disjuncta species are not ecologically equivalent. Our results further revealed that GD1 had the highest tolerance to a combination of sulphides, high salinities and low temperatures. The close phylogenetic position of GD1 to Halomonhystera hermesi, the dominant species in sulphidic sediments of the Håkon Mosby mud volcano (Barent Sea, 1280 m depth), indicates that both species share a recent common ancestor. Differential life-history responses to environmental changes among cryptic species may have crucial consequences for our perception on ecosystem functioning and coexistence of cryptic species.
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26
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Taylor JD, Glover EA, Williams ST. Diversification of chemosymbiotic bivalves: origins and relationships of deeper water Lucinidae. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John D. Taylor
- Department of Life Sciences; The Natural History Museum; London SW7 5BD UK
| | - Emily A. Glover
- Department of Life Sciences; The Natural History Museum; London SW7 5BD UK
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27
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Niemann H, Linke P, Knittel K, MacPherson E, Boetius A, Brückmann W, Larvik G, Wallmann K, Schacht U, Omoregie E, Hilton D, Brown K, Rehder G. Methane-carbon flow into the benthic food web at cold seeps--a case study from the Costa Rica subduction zone. PLoS One 2013; 8:e74894. [PMID: 24116017 PMCID: PMC3792092 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2013] [Accepted: 08/07/2013] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Cold seep ecosystems can support enormous biomasses of free-living and symbiotic chemoautotrophic organisms that get their energy from the oxidation of methane or sulfide. Most of this biomass derives from animals that are associated with bacterial symbionts, which are able to metabolize the chemical resources provided by the seeping fluids. Often these systems also harbor dense accumulations of non-symbiotic megafauna, which can be relevant in exporting chemosynthetically fixed carbon from seeps to the surrounding deep sea. Here we investigated the carbon sources of lithodid crabs (Paralomis sp.) feeding on thiotrophic bacterial mats at an active mud volcano at the Costa Rica subduction zone. To evaluate the dietary carbon source of the crabs, we compared the microbial community in stomach contents with surface sediments covered by microbial mats. The stomach content analyses revealed a dominance of epsilonproteobacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences related to the free-living and epibiotic sulfur oxidiser Sulfurovum sp. We also found Sulfurovum sp. as well as members of the genera Arcobacter and Sulfurimonas in mat-covered surface sediments where Epsilonproteobacteria were highly abundant constituting 10% of total cells. Furthermore, we detected substantial amounts of bacterial fatty acids such as i-C15∶0 and C17∶1ω6c with stable carbon isotope compositions as low as -53‰ in the stomach and muscle tissue. These results indicate that the white microbial mats at Mound 12 are comprised of Epsilonproteobacteria and that microbial mat-derived carbon provides an important contribution to the crab's nutrition. In addition, our lipid analyses also suggest that the crabs feed on other (13)C-depleted organic matter sources, possibly symbiotic megafauna as well as on photosynthetic carbon sources such as sedimentary detritus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helge Niemann
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Peter Linke
- Sonderforschungsbereich 574, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany
| | - Katrin Knittel
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | | | - Antje Boetius
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
- Alfred Wegener Institute for Marine and Polar Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Warner Brückmann
- Sonderforschungsbereich 574, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany
| | - Gaute Larvik
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
| | - Klaus Wallmann
- Sonderforschungsbereich 574, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany
| | - Ulrike Schacht
- Sonderforschungsbereich 574, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Enoma Omoregie
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
- Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC/INTA), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
| | - David Hilton
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, United States of America
| | - Kevin Brown
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, United States of America
| | - Gregor Rehder
- Sonderforschungsbereich 574, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), Rostock, Germany
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Are organic falls bridging reduced environments in the deep sea? - results from colonization experiments in the Gulf of Cádiz. PLoS One 2013; 8:e76688. [PMID: 24098550 PMCID: PMC3788751 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2013] [Accepted: 08/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Organic falls create localised patches of organic enrichment and disturbance where enhanced degradation is mediated by diversified microbial assemblages and specialized fauna. The view of organic falls as “stepping stones” for the colonization of deep-sea reducing environments has been often loosely used, but much remains to be proven concerning their capability to bridge dispersal among such environments. Aiming the clarification of this issue, we used an experimental approach to answer the following questions: Are relatively small organic falls in the deep sea capable of sustaining taxonomically and trophically diverse assemblages over demographically relevant temporal scales? Are there important depth- or site-related sources of variability for the composition and structure of these assemblages? Is the proximity of other reducing environments influential for their colonization? We analysed the taxonomical and trophic diversity patterns and partitioning (α- and β-diversity) of the macrofaunal assemblages recruited in small colonization devices with organic and inorganic substrata after 1-2 years of deployment on mud volcanoes of the Gulf of Cádiz. Our results show that small organic falls can sustain highly diverse and trophically coherent assemblages for time periods allowing growth to reproductive maturity, and successive generations of dominant species. The composition and structure of the assemblages showed variability consistent with their biogeographic and bathymetric contexts. However, the proximity of cold seeps had limited influence on the similarity between the assemblages of these two habitats and organic falls sustained a distinctive fauna with dominant substrate-specific taxa. We conclude that it is unlikely that small organic falls may regularly ensure population connectivity among cold seeps and vents. They may be a recurrent source of evolutionary candidates for the colonization of such ecosystems. However, there may be a critical size of organic fall to create the necessary intense and persistent reducing conditions for sustaining typical chemosymbiotic vent and seep organisms.
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Microbial communities of deep-sea methane seeps at Hikurangi continental margin (New Zealand). PLoS One 2013; 8:e72627. [PMID: 24098632 PMCID: PMC3787109 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2013] [Accepted: 07/11/2013] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The methane-emitting cold seeps of Hikurangi margin (New Zealand) are among the few deep-sea chemosynthetic ecosystems of the Southern Hemisphere known to date. Here we compared the biogeochemistry and microbial communities of a variety of Hikurangi cold seep ecosystems. These included highly reduced seep habitats dominated by bacterial mats, partially oxidized habitats populated by heterotrophic ampharetid polychaetes and deeply oxidized habitats dominated by chemosynthetic frenulate tubeworms. The ampharetid habitats were characterized by a thick oxic sediment layer that hosted a diverse and biomass-rich community of aerobic methanotrophic Gammaproteobacteria. These bacteria consumed up to 25% of the emanating methane and clustered within three deep-branching groups named Marine Methylotrophic Group (MMG) 1-3. MMG1 and MMG2 methylotrophs belong to the order Methylococcales, whereas MMG3 methylotrophs are related to the Methylophaga. Organisms of the groups MMG1 and MMG3 are close relatives of chemosynthetic endosymbionts of marine invertebrates. The anoxic sediment layers of all investigated seeps were dominated by anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) of the ANME-2 clade and sulfate-reducing Deltaproteobacteria. Microbial community analysis using Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (ARISA) showed that the different seep habitats hosted distinct microbial communities, which were strongly influenced by the seep-associated fauna and the geographic location. Despite outstanding features of Hikurangi seep communities, the organisms responsible for key ecosystem functions were similar to those found at seeps worldwide. This suggests that similar types of biogeochemical settings select for similar community composition regardless of geographic distance. Because ampharetid polychaetes are widespread at cold seeps the role of aerobic methanotrophy may have been underestimated in seafloor methane budgets.
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Abstract
Large organic food falls to the deep sea – such as whale carcasses and wood logs – are known to serve as stepping stones for the dispersal of highly adapted chemosynthetic organisms inhabiting hot vents and cold seeps. Here we investigated the biogeochemical and microbiological processes leading to the development of sulfidic niches by deploying wood colonization experiments at a depth of 1690 m in the Eastern Mediterranean for one year. Wood-boring bivalves of the genus Xylophaga played a key role in the degradation of the wood logs, facilitating the development of anoxic zones and anaerobic microbial processes such as sulfate reduction. Fauna and bacteria associated with the wood included types reported from other deep-sea habitats including chemosynthetic ecosystems, confirming the potential role of large organic food falls as biodiversity hot spots and stepping stones for vent and seep communities. Specific bacterial communities developed on and around the wood falls within one year and were distinct from freshly submerged wood and background sediments. These included sulfate-reducing and cellulolytic bacterial taxa, which are likely to play an important role in the utilization of wood by chemosynthetic life and other deep-sea animals.
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31
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Webb TJ. Marine and terrestrial ecology: unifying concepts, revealing differences. Trends Ecol Evol 2012; 27:535-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2012.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2012] [Revised: 06/12/2012] [Accepted: 06/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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