Inorganic carbon fixation in ice-covered lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 123-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trista J. Vick-Majors ◽  
John C. Priscu
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Carbon Fixation ◽  
Dry Valleys ◽  
Ammonia Oxidizers ◽  
Fixed Carbon ◽  
Carbon Supply ◽  
Gain Energy ◽  
Photosynthetic Microorganisms ◽  
Dark Carbon Fixation

AbstractInorganic carbon fixation, usually mediated by photosynthetic microorganisms, is considered to form the base of the food chain in aquatic ecosystems. In high-latitude lakes, lack of sunlight owing to seasonal solar radiation limits the activity of photosynthetic plankton during the polar winter, causing respiration-driven demand for carbon to exceed supply. Here, we show that inorganic carbon fixation in the dark, driven by organisms that gain energy from chemical reactions rather than sunlight (chemolithoautotrophs), provides a significant influx of fixed carbon to two permanently ice-covered lakes (Fryxell and East Bonney). Fryxell, which has higher biomass per unit volume of water, had higher rates of inorganic dark carbon fixation by chemolithoautotrophs than East Bonney (trophogenic zone average 1.0 µg C l−1 d−1vs 0.08 µg C l−1 d−1, respectively). This contribution from dark carbon fixation was partly due to the activity of ammonia oxidizers, which are present in both lakes. Despite the potential importance of new carbon input by chemolithoautotrophic activity, both lakes remain net heterotrophic, with respiratory demand for carbon exceeding supply. Dark carbon fixation increased the ratio of new carbon supply to respiratory demand from 0.16 to 0.47 in Fryxell, and from 0.14 to 0.22 in East Bonney.

scholarly journals In Silico Characterization and Homology Modeling of a Cyanobacterial Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase Enzyme

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aubrey A. Smith ◽  
Amanda Caruso
Keyword(s):  
Active Site ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Metal Ion ◽  
Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase ◽  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Carbon Fixation ◽  
Homology Model ◽  
Active Site Residues ◽  
Cyanobacterial Species ◽  
In Silico Characterization

ATP-dependent phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) is a key catabolic enzyme found in various species of bacteria, plants, and yeast. PEPCK may play a role in carbon fixation in aquatic ecosystems consisting of photosynthetic cyanobacteria. RuBisCO-based CO2 fixation is prevalent in cyanobacteria through C3 intermediates; however, a significant amount of carbon flows into C4 acids during cyanobacterial photosynthesis. This indicates that a C4 mechanism for inorganic carbon fixation is prevalent in cyanobacteria with PEPCK as an important β-carboxylation enzyme. Newly available genomic information has confirmed the existence of putative PEPCK genes in a number of cyanobacterial species. This project represents the first structural and physicochemical study of cyanobacterial PEPCKs. Biocomputational analyses of cyanobacterial PEPCKs were performed and a homology model of Cyanothece sp. PCC 7424 PEPCK was generated. The modeled enzyme consists of an N-terminal and C-terminal domains with a mixed α/β topology with the active site located in a deep cleft between the two domains. Active site residues and those involved in metal ion coordination were found to be conserved in the cyanobacterial enzymes. An active site lid which is known to close upon substrate binding was also predicted. Amino acid stretches that are unique to cyanobacterial PEPCKs were also identified.

Microbial microstratification, inorganic carbon photoassimilation and dark carbon fixation at the chemocline of the meromictic Lake Cadagno (Switzerland) and its relevance to the food web

2001 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Camacho ◽  
Jonathan Erez ◽  
Alvaro Chicote ◽  
Máximo Florín ◽  
Margaret M. Squires ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Carbon Fixation ◽  
Meromictic Lake ◽  
Dark Carbon Fixation

scholarly journals Anoxygenic photo- and chemosynthesis of phototrophic sulfur bacteria from an alpine meromictic lake

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Di Nezio ◽  
Clarisse Beney ◽  
Samuele Roman ◽  
Francesco Danza ◽  
Antoine Buetti-Dinh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Fixation ◽  
Meromictic Lake ◽  
Purple Sulfur Bacterium ◽  
Phototrophic Sulfur Bacteria ◽  
Anaerobic Microorganisms ◽  
Sulfur Bacteria ◽  
Pure Cultures ◽  
Chlorobium Phaeobacteroides ◽  
Anoxic Environment ◽  
Dark Carbon Fixation

Abstract Meromictic lakes are interesting ecosystems to study anaerobic microorganisms due their permanent stratification allowing the formation of a stable anoxic environment. The crenogenic meromictic Lake Cadagno harbors an important community of anoxygenic phototrophic sulfur bacteria responsible for almost half of its total productivity. Besides their ability to fix CO2 through photosynthesis, these microorganisms also showed high rates of dark carbon fixation via chemosyntesis. Here, we grew in pure cultures three populations of anoxygenic phototrophic sulfur bacteria previously isolated from the lake, accounting for 72.8% of the total microbial community, and exibiting different phenotypes: 1) the motile, large-celled purple sulfur bacterium (PSB) Chromatium okenii, 2) the small-celled PSB Thiodictyon syntrophicum, and 3) the green sulfur bacterium (GSB) Chlorobium phaeobacteroides. We measured their ability to fix CO2 through photo- and chemo-synthesis, both in situ in the lake and in laboratory under different incubation conditions. We also evaluated the efficiency and velocity of H2S photo-oxidation, an important reaction in the anoxygenic photosynthesis process. Our results confirm that phototrophic sulfur bacteria strongly fix CO2 in the presence of light and that oxygen increases chemosynthesis at night, in laboratory conditions. Moreover, substancial differences were displayed between the three selected populations in terms of activity and abundance.

scholarly journals Microbial dark carbon fixation fueled by nitrate enrichment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph H. Vineis ◽  
Ashley N. Bulseco ◽  
Jennifer L. Bowen
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Marine Sediments ◽  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Carbon Fixation ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Coastal Marine Sediments ◽  
Functional Relationships ◽  
Coastal Marine ◽  
Dark Carbon Fixation ◽  
The Impact

Anthropogenic nitrate amendment to coastal marine sediments can increase rates of heterotrophic mineralization and autotrophic dark carbon fixation (DCF). DCF may be favored in sediments where organic matter is biologically unavailable, leading to a microbial community supported by chemoautotrophy. Niche partitioning among DCF communities and adaptations for nitrate metabolism in coastal marine sediments remain poorly characterized, especially within salt marshes. We used genome-resolved metagenomics, phylogenetics, and comparative genomics to characterize the potential niche space, phylogenetic relationships, and adaptations important to microbial communities within nitrate enriched sediment. We found that nitrate enrichment of sediment from discrete depths between 0-25 cm supported both heterotrophs and chemoautotrophs that use sulfur oxidizing denitrification to drive the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) or reductive TCA (rTCA) DCF pathways. Phylogenetic reconstruction indicated that the nitrate enriched community represented a small fraction of the phylogenetic diversity contained in coastal marine environmental genomes, while pangenomics revealed close evolutionary and functional relationships with DCF microbes in other oligotrophic environments. These results indicate that DCF can support coastal marine microbial communities and should be carefully considered when estimating the impact of nitrate on carbon cycling in these critical habitats.

scholarly journals Insights into Biodegradation Related Metabolism in an Abnormally Low Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) Petroleum-Contaminated Aquifer by Metagenomics Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pingping Cai ◽  
Zhuo Ning ◽  
Ningning Zhang ◽  
Min Zhang ◽  
Caijuan Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitrate Reduction ◽  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Carbon Fixation ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Contaminated Aquifer ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
New Finding ◽  
Key Genes ◽  
Contaminated Aquifers ◽  
Metagenomics Analysis

In petroleum-contaminated aquifers, biodegradation is always associated with various types of microbial metabolism. It can be classified as autotrophic (such as methanogenic and other carbon fixation) and heterotrophic (such as nitrate/sulfate reduction and hydrocarbon consumption) metabolism. For each metabolic type, there are several key genes encoding the reaction enzymes, which can be identified by metagenomics analysis. Based on this principle, in an abnormally low dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) petroleum-contaminated aquifer in North China, nine groundwater samples were collected along the groundwater flow, and metagenomics analysis was used to discover biodegradation related metabolism by key genes. The major new finding is that autotrophic metabolism was revealed, and, more usefully, we attempt to explain the reasons for abnormally low DIC. The results show that the methanogenesis gene, Mcr, was undetected but more carbon fixation genes than nitrate reduction and sulfate genes were found. This suggests that there may be a considerable number of autotrophic microorganisms that cause the phenomenon of low concentration of dissolved inorganic carbon in contaminated areas. The metagenomics data also revealed that most heterotrophic, sulfate, and nitrate reduction genes in the aquifer were assimilatory sulfate and dissimilatory nitrate reduction genes. Although there was limited dissolved oxygen, aerobic degrading genes AlkB and Cdo were more abundant than anaerobic degrading genes AssA and BssA. The metagenomics information can enrich our microorganic knowledge about petroleum-contaminated aquifers and provide basic data for further bioremediation.

scholarly journals Short-Term Stable Isotope Probing of Proteins Reveals Taxa Incorporating Inorganic Carbon in a Hot Spring Microbial Mat

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurey Steinke ◽  
Gordon W. Slysz ◽  
Mary S. Lipton ◽  
Christian Klatt ◽  
James J. Moran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Microbial Mats ◽  
Carbon Fixation ◽  
Hot Springs ◽  
Hot Spring ◽  
Stable Isotope Probing ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Low Light ◽  
Assembly Sequences

ABSTRACT The upper green layer of the chlorophototrophic microbial mats associated with the alkaline siliceous hot springs of Yellowstone National Park consists of oxygenic cyanobacteria (Synechococcus spp.), anoxygenic Roseiflexus spp., and several other anoxygenic chlorophototrophs. Synechococcus spp. are believed to be the main fixers of inorganic carbon (Ci), but some evidence suggests that Roseiflexus spp. also contribute to inorganic carbon fixation during low-light, anoxic morning periods. Contributions of other phototrophic taxa have not been investigated. In order to follow the pathway of Ci incorporation into different taxa, mat samples were incubated with [13C]bicarbonate for 3 h during the early-morning, low-light anoxic period. Extracted proteins were treated with trypsin and analyzed by mass spectrometry, leading to peptide identifications and peptide isotopic profile signatures containing evidence of 13C label incorporation. A total of 25,483 peptides, corresponding to 7,221 proteins, were identified from spectral features and associated with mat taxa by comparison to metagenomic assembly sequences. A total of 1,417 peptides, derived from 720 proteins, were detectably labeled with 13C. Most 13C-labeled peptides were derived from proteins of Synechococcus spp. and Roseiflexus spp. Chaperones and proteins of carbohydrate metabolism were most abundantly labeled. Proteins involved in photosynthesis, Ci fixation, and N2 fixation were also labeled in Synechococcus spp. Importantly, most proteins of the 3-hydroxypropionate bi-cycle for Ci fixation in Roseiflexus spp. were labeled, establishing that members of this taxocene contribute to Ci fixation. Other taxa showed much lower [13C]bicarbonate incorporation. IMPORTANCE Yellowstone hot spring mats have been studied as natural models for understanding microbial community ecology and as modern analogs of stromatolites, the earliest community fossils on Earth. Stable-isotope probing of proteins (Pro-SIP) permitted short-term interrogation of the taxa that are involved in the important process of light-driven Ci fixation in this highly active community and will be useful in linking other metabolic processes to mat taxa. Here, evidence is presented that Roseiflexus spp., which use the 3-hydroxypropionate bi-cycle, are active in Ci fixation. Because this pathway imparts a lower degree of selection of isotopically heavy Ci than does the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle, the results suggest a mechanism to explain why the natural abundance of 13C in mat biomass is greater than expected if only the latter pathway were involved. Understanding how mat community members influence the 13C/12C ratios of mat biomass will help geochemists interpret the 13C/12C ratios of organic carbon in the fossil record.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document