Energy Gradients Structure Microbial Communities Across Sediment Horizons in Deep Marine Sediments of the South China Sea
The deep marine subsurface is a heterogeneous environment in which the assembly of microbial communities is thought to be controlled by a combination of organic matter deposition, electron acceptor availability, and sedimentology. However, the relative importance of these factors in structuring micr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
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| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2018.00729/full |
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| author | Michael F. Graw Grace D'Angelo Matthew Borchers Andrew R. Thurber Andrew R. Thurber Joel E. Johnson Chuanlun Zhang Haodong Liu Frederick S. Colwell |
| author_facet | Michael F. Graw Grace D'Angelo Matthew Borchers Andrew R. Thurber Andrew R. Thurber Joel E. Johnson Chuanlun Zhang Haodong Liu Frederick S. Colwell |
| author_sort | Michael F. Graw |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The deep marine subsurface is a heterogeneous environment in which the assembly of microbial communities is thought to be controlled by a combination of organic matter deposition, electron acceptor availability, and sedimentology. However, the relative importance of these factors in structuring microbial communities in marine sediments remains unclear. The South China Sea (SCS) experiences significant variability in sedimentation across the basin and features discrete changes in sedimentology as a result of episodic deposition of turbidites and volcanic ashes within lithogenic clays and siliceous or calcareous ooze deposits throughout the basin's history. Deep subsurface microbial communities were recently sampled by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) at three locations in the SCS with sedimentation rates of 5, 12, and 20 cm per thousand years. Here, we used Illumina sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene to characterize deep subsurface microbial communities from distinct sediment types at these sites. Communities across all sites were dominated by several poorly characterized taxa implicated in organic matter degradation, including Atribacteria, Dehalococcoidia, and Aerophobetes. Sulfate-reducing bacteria comprised only 4% of the community across sulfate-bearing sediments from multiple cores and did not change in abundance in sediments from the methanogenic zone at the site with the lowest sedimentation rate. Microbial communities were significantly structured by sediment age and the availability of sulfate as an electron acceptor in pore waters. However, microbial communities demonstrated no partitioning based on the sediment type they inhabited. These results indicate that microbial communities in the SCS are structured by the availability of electron donors and acceptors rather than sedimentological characteristics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T07:39:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-27ab7d520b714b028aee9dbd6927a319 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T07:39:18Z |
| publishDate | 2018-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-27ab7d520b714b028aee9dbd6927a3192022-12-22T00:32:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2018-04-01910.3389/fmicb.2018.00729360985Energy Gradients Structure Microbial Communities Across Sediment Horizons in Deep Marine Sediments of the South China SeaMichael F. Graw0Grace D'Angelo1Matthew Borchers2Andrew R. Thurber3Andrew R. Thurber4Joel E. Johnson5Chuanlun Zhang6Haodong Liu7Frederick S. Colwell8College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesDepartment of Microbiology, College of Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesDepartment of Biochemistry and Biophysics, College of Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesCollege of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesDepartment of Microbiology, College of Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesDepartment of Earth Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United StatesState Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Marine Geology, Tongji University, Shanghai, ChinaCollege of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesThe deep marine subsurface is a heterogeneous environment in which the assembly of microbial communities is thought to be controlled by a combination of organic matter deposition, electron acceptor availability, and sedimentology. However, the relative importance of these factors in structuring microbial communities in marine sediments remains unclear. The South China Sea (SCS) experiences significant variability in sedimentation across the basin and features discrete changes in sedimentology as a result of episodic deposition of turbidites and volcanic ashes within lithogenic clays and siliceous or calcareous ooze deposits throughout the basin's history. Deep subsurface microbial communities were recently sampled by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) at three locations in the SCS with sedimentation rates of 5, 12, and 20 cm per thousand years. Here, we used Illumina sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene to characterize deep subsurface microbial communities from distinct sediment types at these sites. Communities across all sites were dominated by several poorly characterized taxa implicated in organic matter degradation, including Atribacteria, Dehalococcoidia, and Aerophobetes. Sulfate-reducing bacteria comprised only 4% of the community across sulfate-bearing sediments from multiple cores and did not change in abundance in sediments from the methanogenic zone at the site with the lowest sedimentation rate. Microbial communities were significantly structured by sediment age and the availability of sulfate as an electron acceptor in pore waters. However, microbial communities demonstrated no partitioning based on the sediment type they inhabited. These results indicate that microbial communities in the SCS are structured by the availability of electron donors and acceptors rather than sedimentological characteristics.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2018.00729/fullmicrobial ecologymarine sediment16S rRNAmicrobial communitiesInternational Ocean Discovery Program |
| spellingShingle | Michael F. Graw Grace D'Angelo Matthew Borchers Andrew R. Thurber Andrew R. Thurber Joel E. Johnson Chuanlun Zhang Haodong Liu Frederick S. Colwell Energy Gradients Structure Microbial Communities Across Sediment Horizons in Deep Marine Sediments of the South China Sea Frontiers in Microbiology microbial ecology marine sediment 16S rRNA microbial communities International Ocean Discovery Program |
| title | Energy Gradients Structure Microbial Communities Across Sediment Horizons in Deep Marine Sediments of the South China Sea |
| title_full | Energy Gradients Structure Microbial Communities Across Sediment Horizons in Deep Marine Sediments of the South China Sea |
| title_fullStr | Energy Gradients Structure Microbial Communities Across Sediment Horizons in Deep Marine Sediments of the South China Sea |
| title_full_unstemmed | Energy Gradients Structure Microbial Communities Across Sediment Horizons in Deep Marine Sediments of the South China Sea |
| title_short | Energy Gradients Structure Microbial Communities Across Sediment Horizons in Deep Marine Sediments of the South China Sea |
| title_sort | energy gradients structure microbial communities across sediment horizons in deep marine sediments of the south china sea |
| topic | microbial ecology marine sediment 16S rRNA microbial communities International Ocean Discovery Program |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2018.00729/full |
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