scholarly journals Distinct microbial composition and functions in an underground high-temperature hot spring at different depths

Author(s):  
Shijie Bai ◽  
Xiaotong Peng

Abstract. The microbial diversity and functions of three high-temperature neutral hot springs water samples at different depths (0 m, 19 m and 58 m) were investigated based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and a functional gene array (GeoChip 5.0). The results revealed that the bacterial communities were distinct at different depths in the hot springs. Additionally, in response to the depths, bacterial/archaeal community compositions exhibited shifts over the depth profiles. Aquificae, Alpha-proteobacteria, and Deinococcus-Thermus were the dominating phyla at 0 m, 19 m, and 58 m, respectively. Hydrogenobacter, Sphingobium, and Thermus were the most abundant genera at 0 m, 19 m, and 58 m, respectively. The phylum Thaumarchaeota was the most abundant member of the archaeal community in the samples at different hot spring depths. Functional results of the microbial communities indicated that microbial metabolic functions were mainly related to sulfur, nitrogen cycling, and hydrogen oxidation. In summary, our results demonstrated that distinct microbial communities and functions were found at different depths of hot springs in a very limited area. These findings will provide new insights into the deep-subsurface biosphere associated with terrestrial hot springs.

2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (11) ◽  
pp. 3834-3847 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew R. Urschel ◽  
Michael D. Kubo ◽  
Tori M. Hoehler ◽  
John W. Peters ◽  
Eric S. Boyd

ABSTRACTRates of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), formate, and acetate mineralization and/or assimilation were determined in 13 high-temperature (>73°C) hot springs in Yellowstone National Park (YNP), Wyoming, in order to evaluate the relative importance of these substrates in supporting microbial metabolism. While 9 of the hot spring communities exhibited rates of DIC assimilation that were greater than those of formate and acetate assimilation, 2 exhibited rates of formate and/or acetate assimilation that exceeded those of DIC assimilation. Overall rates of DIC, formate, and acetate mineralization and assimilation were positively correlated with spring pH but showed little correlation with temperature. Communities sampled from hot springs with similar geochemistries generally exhibited similar rates of substrate transformation, as well as similar community compositions, as revealed by 16S rRNA gene-tagged sequencing. Amendment of microcosms with small (micromolar) amounts of formate suppressed DIC assimilation in short-term (<45-min) incubations, despite the presence of native DIC concentrations that exceeded those of added formate by 2 to 3 orders of magnitude. The concentration of added formate required to suppress DIC assimilation was similar to the affinity constant (Km) for formate transformation, as determined by community kinetic assays. These results suggest that dominant chemoautotrophs in high-temperature communities are facultatively autotrophic or mixotrophic, are adapted to fluctuating nutrient availabilities, and are capable of taking advantage of energy-rich organic substrates when they become available.


Microbiome ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chanenath Sriaporn ◽  
Kathleen A. Campbell ◽  
Martin J. Van Kranendonk ◽  
Kim M. Handley

Abstract Background Terrestrial hot spring settings span a broad spectrum of physicochemistries. Physicochemical parameters, such as pH and temperature, are key factors influencing differences in microbial composition across diverse geothermal areas. Nonetheless, analysis of hot spring pools from the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), New Zealand, revealed that some members of the bacterial genus, Acidithiobacillus, are prevalent across wide ranges of hot spring pHs and temperatures. To determine the genomic attributes of Acidithiobacillus that inhabit such diverse conditions, we assembled the genomes of 19 uncultivated hot spring Acidithiobacillus strains from six geothermal areas and compared these to 37 publicly available Acidithiobacillus genomes from various habitats. Results Analysis of 16S rRNA gene amplicons from 138 samples revealed that Acidithiobacillus comprised on average 11.4 ± 16.8% of hot spring prokaryotic communities, with three Acidithiobacillus amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) (TVZ_G1, TVZ_G2, TVZ_G3) accounting for > 90% of Acidithiobacillus in terms of relative abundance, and occurring in 126 out of 138 samples across wide ranges of temperature (17.5–92.9 °C) and pH (1.0–7.5). We recovered 19 environmental genomes belonging to each of these three ASVs, as well as a fourth related group (TVZ_G4). Based on genome average nucleotide identities, the four groups (TVZ_G1-TVZ_G4) constitute distinct species (ANI < 96.5%) of which three are novel Acidithiobacillus species (TVZ_G2-TVZ_G4) and one belongs to Acidithiobacillus caldus (TVZ_G1). All four TVZ Acidithiobacillus groups were found in hot springs with temperatures above the previously known limit for the genus (up to 40 °C higher), likely due to significantly higher proline and GC contents than other Acidithiobacillus species, which are known to increase thermostability. Results also indicate hot spring-associated Acidithiobacillus have undergone genome streamlining, likely due to thermal adaptation. Moreover, our data suggest that Acidithiobacillus prevalence across varied hot spring pHs is supported by distinct strategies, whereby TVZ_G2-TVZ_G4 regulate pH homeostasis mostly through Na+/H+ antiporters and proton-efflux ATPases, whereas TVZ_G1 mainly relies on amino acid decarboxylases. Conclusions This study provides insights into the distribution of Acidithiobacillus species across diverse hot spring physichochemistries and determines genomic features and adaptations that potentially enable Acidithiobacillus species to colonize a broad range of temperatures and pHs in geothermal environments.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svetlana V. Zaitseva ◽  
Elena V. Lavrentieva ◽  
Aryuna A. Radnagurueva ◽  
Olga A. Baturina ◽  
Marsel R. Kabilov ◽  
...  

Alkaline hot springs are unique extreme habitats resemble the early Earth and present a valuable resource for the discovery of procaryotic community diversity and isolation of the novel thermophilic Bacteria and Archaea. One of the model for the possible origin of biochemistry in alkaline hot springs revealed the acetyl-CoA pathway of CO2 fixation might be the most ancient form of carbon metabolism. Recent phylogenetic studies have suggested that the phylum Acetothermia is one of the deep branches of the Bacteria domain. Firstly Acetothermia (Candidate division OP1) was characterized in a culture independent molecular phylogenetic survey based on the 16S rRNA gene of the sulfide-rich hot spring, Obsidian Pool, a 75 to 95oC hot spring. Two nearly complete genomes of Acetothermia were established based on genome-resolved metagenomic analysis and its capability of implementing acetogenesis through the ancient reductive acetyl-CoA pathway by utilizing CO2 and H2 was revealed. Although genomic, proteomic and metagenomic approaches investigate basic metabolism and potentional energy conservation of uncultivated candidate phyla but ecological roles of these bacteria and general patterns of diversity and community structure stay unclear. General hydrochemical and geological characterization of alkaline thermal springs of the Baikal Rift zone with high silica concentrations and a nitrogen dominated gas phase is provided. Previous microbiogical studies based on culture-dependent methods recovered a large number of bacterial strains from thermal springs located in Baikal Rift zone. We combined microbial communities analysis by using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing, biogeochemical measurements, sediment mineralogy and physicochemical characteristics to investigate ecosystems of alkaline hot springs located in the Baikal Rift zone. Uncultivated bacteria belonging to the phylum Acetothermia, along with members of the phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, were identified as the dominant group in hydrothermal sediments communities in the alkaline hot springs of Baikal Rift zone. In bottom sediments of the Alla hot spring, about 57% of all classified sequences represent this phylum. Geochemistry of fluids and sample type were strongly correlated with microbial community composition. The Acetothermia exhibited the highest relative abundance in sediment microbial community associated with alkaline thermal fluids enriched in Fe, Zn, Ni, Al and Cr.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M Dick ◽  
Delong Meng

Thermodynamics predicts a positive correlation between environmental redox potential and oxidation state of molecules; if found for microbial communities it would imply a new kind of deterministic eco-evolutionary process. This study examines evidence for local- and global-scale correlations between oxidation-reduction potential (ORP or Eh) in environmental samples and carbon oxidation state (ZC) of estimated bacterial and archaeal community proteomes. Seventy-nine public datasets for seven environment types (river & seawater, lake & pond, alkaline spring, hot spring, groundwater, sediment, and soil) were analyzed. Taxonomic abundances inferred from high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequences were combined with NCBI Reference Sequence (RefSeq) proteomes to estimate the amino acid compositions and chemical formulas (CcHhNnOoSs) of community proteomes, which yield ZC. Alkaline hot springs have the lowest ZC for both bacterial and archaeal domains of any environment. Positive global correlations between redox potential and ZC are found for bacterial communities in lake & pond, groundwater, and soil environments, but not archaeal communities, suggesting a broad ecological signal of chemical shaping in Bacteria.


Author(s):  
Svetlana V. Zaitseva ◽  
Elena V. Lavrentieva ◽  
Aryuna A. Radnagurueva ◽  
Olga A. Baturina ◽  
Marsel R. Kabilov ◽  
...  

Alkaline hot springs are unique extreme habitats resemble the early Earth and present a valuable resource for the discovery of procaryotic community diversity and isolation of the novel thermophilic Bacteria and Archaea. One of the model for the possible origin of biochemistry in alkaline hot springs revealed the acetyl-CoA pathway of CO2 fixation might be the most ancient form of carbon metabolism. Recent phylogenetic studies have suggested that the phylum Acetothermia is one of the deep branches of the Bacteria domain. Firstly Acetothermia (Candidate division OP1) was characterized in a culture independent molecular phylogenetic survey based on the 16S rRNA gene of the sulfide-rich hot spring, Obsidian Pool, a 75 to 95oC hot spring. Two nearly complete genomes of Acetothermia were established based on genome-resolved metagenomic analysis and its capability of implementing acetogenesis through the ancient reductive acetyl-CoA pathway by utilizing CO2 and H2 was revealed. Although genomic, proteomic and metagenomic approaches investigate basic metabolism and potentional energy conservation of uncultivated candidate phyla but ecological roles of these bacteria and general patterns of diversity and community structure stay unclear. General hydrochemical and geological characterization of alkaline thermal springs of the Baikal Rift zone with high silica concentrations and a nitrogen dominated gas phase is provided. Previous microbiogical studies based on culture-dependent methods recovered a large number of bacterial strains from thermal springs located in Baikal Rift zone. We combined microbial communities analysis by using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing, biogeochemical measurements, sediment mineralogy and physicochemical characteristics to investigate ecosystems of alkaline hot springs located in the Baikal Rift zone. Uncultivated bacteria belonging to the phylum Acetothermia, along with members of the phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, were identified as the dominant group in hydrothermal sediments communities in the alkaline hot springs of Baikal Rift zone. In bottom sediments of the Alla hot spring, about 57% of all classified sequences represent this phylum. Geochemistry of fluids and sample type were strongly correlated with microbial community composition. The Acetothermia exhibited the highest relative abundance in sediment microbial community associated with alkaline thermal fluids enriched in Fe, Zn, Ni, Al and Cr.


AMB Express ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shenzheng Zeng ◽  
Sukontorn Khoruamkid ◽  
Warinphorn Kongpakdee ◽  
Dongdong Wei ◽  
Lingfei Yu ◽  
...  

Abstract The Pacific white shrimp, with the largest production in shrimp industry, has suffered from multiple severe viral and bacterial diseases, which calls for a more reliable and environmentally friendly system to promote shrimp culture. The “Aquamimicry system”, mimicking the nature of aquatic ecosystems for the well-being of aquatic animals, has effectively increased shrimp production and been adapted in many countries. However, the microbial communities in the shrimp intestine and surrounding environment that act as an essential component in Aquamimicry remain largely unknown. In this study, the microbial composition and diversity alteration in shrimp intestine, surrounding water and sediment at different culture stages were investigated by high throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene, obtaining 13,562 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Results showed that the microbial communities in shrimp intestine and surrounding environment were significantly distinct from each other, and 23 distinguished taxa for each habitat were further characterized. The microbial communities differed significantly at different culture stages, confirmed by a great number of OTUs dramatically altered during the culture period. A small part of these altered OTUs were shared between shrimp intestine and surrounding environment, suggesting that the microbial alteration of intestine was not consistent with that of water and sediment. Regarding the high production of Aquamimicry farm used as a case in this study, the dissimilarity between intestinal and surrounding microbiota might be considered as a potential indicator for healthy status of shrimp farming, which provided hints on the appropriate culture practices to improve shrimp production.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1473
Author(s):  
Ani Saghatelyan ◽  
Armine Margaryan ◽  
Hovik Panosyan ◽  
Nils-Kåre Birkeland

The microbial diversity of high-altitude geothermal springs has been recently assessed to explore their biotechnological potential. However, little is known regarding the microbiota of similar ecosystems located on the Armenian Highland. This review summarizes the known information on the microbiota of nine high-altitude mineralized geothermal springs (temperature range 25.8–70 °C and pH range 6.0–7.5) in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. All these geothermal springs are at altitudes ranging from 960–2090 m above sea level and are located on the Alpide (Alpine–Himalayan) orogenic belt, a seismically active region. A mixed-cation mixed-anion composition, with total mineralization of 0.5 mg/L, has been identified for these thermal springs. The taxonomic diversity of hot spring microbiomes has been examined using culture-independent approaches, including denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), 16S rRNA gene library construction, 454 pyrosequencing, and Illumina HiSeq. The bacterial phyla Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, and Firmicutes are the predominant life forms in the studied springs. Archaea mainly include the phyla Euryarchaeota, Crenarchaeota, and Thaumarchaeota, and comprise less than 1% of the prokaryotic community. Comparison of microbial diversity in springs from Karvachar with that described for other terrestrial hot springs revealed that Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Deinococcus–Thermus are the common bacterial groups in terrestrial hot springs. Contemporaneously, specific bacterial and archaeal taxa were observed in different springs. Evaluation of the carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen metabolism in these hot spring communities has revealed diversity in terms of metabolic activity. Temperature seems to be an important factor in shaping the microbial communities of these springs. Overall, the diversity and richness of the microbiota are negatively affected by increasing temperature. Other abiotic factors, including pH, mineralization, and geological history, also impact the structure and function of the microbial community. More than 130 bacterial and archaeal strains (Bacillus, Geobacillus, Parageobacillus, Anoxybacillus, Paenibacillus, Brevibacillus Aeribacillus, Ureibacillus, Thermoactinomyces, Sporosarcina, Thermus, Rhodobacter, Thiospirillum, Thiocapsa, Rhodopseudomonas, Methylocaldum, Desulfomicrobium, Desulfovibrio, Treponema, Arcobacter, Nitropspira, and Methanoculleus) have been reported, some of which may be representative of novel species (sharing 91–97% sequence identity with their closest matches in GenBank) and producers of thermozymes and biomolecules with potential biotechnological applications. Whole-genome shotgun sequencing of T. scotoductus K1, as well as of the potentially new Treponema sp. J25 and Anoxybacillus sp. K1, were performed. Most of the phyla identified by 16S rRNA were also identified using metagenomic approaches. Detailed characterization of thermophilic isolates indicate the potential of the studied springs as a source of biotechnologically valuable microbes and biomolecules.


Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huili Feng ◽  
Jiahuan Guo ◽  
Weifeng Wang ◽  
Xinzhang Song ◽  
Shuiqiang Yu

Understanding the composition and diversity of soil microorganisms that typically mediate the soil biogeochemical cycle is crucial for estimating greenhouse gas flux and mitigating global changes in plantation forests. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate changes in diversity and relative abundance of bacteria and archaea with soil profiles and the potential factors influencing the vertical differentiation of microbial communities in a poplar plantation. We investigated soil bacterial and archaeal community compositions and diversities by 16S rRNA gene Illumina MiSeq sequencing at different depths of a poplar plantation forest in Chenwei forest farm, Sihong County, Jiangsu, China. More than 882,422 quality-filtered 16S rRNA gene sequences were obtained from 15 samples, corresponding to 34 classified phyla and 68 known classes. Ten major bacterial phyla and two archaeal phyla were found. The diversity of bacterial and archaeal communities decreased with depth of the plantation soil. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of relative abundance of microbial communities exhibited that Nitrospirae, Verrucomicrobia, Latescibacteria, GAL15, SBR1093, and Euryarchaeota had significant differences at different depths. The transition zone of the community composition between the surface and subsurface occurred at 10–20 cm. Overall, our findings highlighted the importance of depth with regard to the complexity and diversity of microbial community composition in plantation forest soils.


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