Methanogens Within a High Salinity Oil Reservoir From the Gulf of Mexico
Oil reservoirs contain microbial populations that are both autochthonously and allochthonously introduced by industrial development. These microbial populations are greatly influenced by external factors including, but not limited to, salinity and temperature. In this study, we used metagenomics to...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2020.570714/full |
| _version_ | 1811337738754981888 |
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| author | Glenn D. Christman Rosa I. León-Zayas Rosa I. León-Zayas Zarath M. Summers Jennifer F. Biddle |
| author_facet | Glenn D. Christman Rosa I. León-Zayas Rosa I. León-Zayas Zarath M. Summers Jennifer F. Biddle |
| author_sort | Glenn D. Christman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Oil reservoirs contain microbial populations that are both autochthonously and allochthonously introduced by industrial development. These microbial populations are greatly influenced by external factors including, but not limited to, salinity and temperature. In this study, we used metagenomics to examine the microbial populations within five wells of the same hydrocarbon reservoir system in the Gulf of Mexico. These elevated salinity (149–181 ppt salinity, 4–5× salinity of seawater) reservoirs have limited taxonomic and functional microbial diversity dominated by methanogens, Halanaerobium and other Firmicutes lineages, and contained less abundant lineages such as Deltaproteobacteria. Metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs) were generated and analyzed from the various wells. Methanogen MAGs were closely related to Methanohalophilus euhalobius, a known methylotrophic methanogen from a high salinity oil environment. Based on metabolic reconstruction of genomes, the Halanaerobium perform glycine betaine fermentation, potentially produced by the methanogens. Industrial introduction of methanol to prevent methane hydrate formation to this environment is likely to be consumed by these methanogens. As such, this subsurface oil population may represent influences from industrial processes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T17:59:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ec5d9a4b2b63492abf3da8c3a8535241 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T17:59:17Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-ec5d9a4b2b63492abf3da8c3a85352412022-12-22T02:36:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2020-09-011110.3389/fmicb.2020.570714570714Methanogens Within a High Salinity Oil Reservoir From the Gulf of MexicoGlenn D. Christman0Rosa I. León-Zayas1Rosa I. León-Zayas2Zarath M. Summers3Jennifer F. Biddle4School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware, Lewes, DE, United StatesSchool of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware, Lewes, DE, United StatesDepartment of Biology, Willamette University, Salem, OR, United StatesExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company, Annandale, NJ, United StatesSchool of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware, Lewes, DE, United StatesOil reservoirs contain microbial populations that are both autochthonously and allochthonously introduced by industrial development. These microbial populations are greatly influenced by external factors including, but not limited to, salinity and temperature. In this study, we used metagenomics to examine the microbial populations within five wells of the same hydrocarbon reservoir system in the Gulf of Mexico. These elevated salinity (149–181 ppt salinity, 4–5× salinity of seawater) reservoirs have limited taxonomic and functional microbial diversity dominated by methanogens, Halanaerobium and other Firmicutes lineages, and contained less abundant lineages such as Deltaproteobacteria. Metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs) were generated and analyzed from the various wells. Methanogen MAGs were closely related to Methanohalophilus euhalobius, a known methylotrophic methanogen from a high salinity oil environment. Based on metabolic reconstruction of genomes, the Halanaerobium perform glycine betaine fermentation, potentially produced by the methanogens. Industrial introduction of methanol to prevent methane hydrate formation to this environment is likely to be consumed by these methanogens. As such, this subsurface oil population may represent influences from industrial processes.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2020.570714/fullmethanogenmethanoloil reservoirArchaeametagenomics |
| spellingShingle | Glenn D. Christman Rosa I. León-Zayas Rosa I. León-Zayas Zarath M. Summers Jennifer F. Biddle Methanogens Within a High Salinity Oil Reservoir From the Gulf of Mexico Frontiers in Microbiology methanogen methanol oil reservoir Archaea metagenomics |
| title | Methanogens Within a High Salinity Oil Reservoir From the Gulf of Mexico |
| title_full | Methanogens Within a High Salinity Oil Reservoir From the Gulf of Mexico |
| title_fullStr | Methanogens Within a High Salinity Oil Reservoir From the Gulf of Mexico |
| title_full_unstemmed | Methanogens Within a High Salinity Oil Reservoir From the Gulf of Mexico |
| title_short | Methanogens Within a High Salinity Oil Reservoir From the Gulf of Mexico |
| title_sort | methanogens within a high salinity oil reservoir from the gulf of mexico |
| topic | methanogen methanol oil reservoir Archaea metagenomics |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2020.570714/full |
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