ABSTRACTIn subduction zones, serpentinization and biological processes may release alkanes to the deep waters, which would probably result in the rapid spread ofAlcanivorax. However, the timing and area of the alkane distribution and associated enrichment of alkane-degrading microbes in the dark world of the deep ocean have not been explored. In this study, we report the richness (up to 17.8%) of alkane-degrading bacteria, represented byAlcanivorax jadensis, in deep water samples obtained at 3,000 to 6,000 m in the Mariana Trench in two cruises. The relative abundance ofA. jadensiscorrelated with copy numbers of functionalalmAandalkBgenes, which are involved in alkane degradation. In these water samples, we detected a high flux of alkanes, which probably resulted in the prevalence ofA. jadensisin the deep waters. Contigs ofA. jadensiswere binned from the metagenomes for examination of alkane degradation pathways and deep sea-specific pathways, which revealed a lack of nitrate and nitrite dissimilatory reduction in ourA. jadensisstrains. Comparing the results for the two cruises conducted close to each other, we suggest periodic release of alkanes that may spread widely but periodically in the trench. Distribution of alkane-degrading bacteria in the world’s oceans suggests the periodic and remarkable contributions ofAlcanivoraxto the deep sea organic carbon and nitrogen sources.IMPORTANCEIn the oligotrophic environment of the Mariana Trench, alkanes as carbohydrates are important for the ecosystem, but their spatial and periodic spreading in deep waters has never been reported. Alkane-degrading bacteria such asAlcanivoraxspp. are biological signals of the alkane distribution. In the present study,Alcanivoraxwas abundant in some waters, at depths of up to 6,000 m, in the Mariana Trench. Genomic, transcriptomic, and chemical analyses provide evidence for the presence and activities ofAlcanivorax jadensisin deep sea zones. The periodic spreading of alkanes, probably from the subductive plates, might have fundamentally modified the local microbial communities, as well as perhaps the deep sea microenvironment.
The metabolic potential of the single cell genomes obtained from the Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench within the candidate superphylum Parcubacteria (OD1)
