Identification of chemoautotrophic microorganisms from a diffuse flow hydrothermal vent at EPR 9° North using 13C DNA Stable Isotope Probing and Catalyzed Activated Reporter Deposition-Fluorescence in situ Hybridization
Identification of chemoautotrophic microorganisms from a diffuse flow hydrothermal vent at EPR 9° North using 13C DNA Stable Isotope Probing and Catalyzed Activated Reporter Deposition-Fluorescence in situ Hybridization
Date
2010-09
Authors
Richberg, Kevin P.
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Date Created
Location
East Pacific Rise
DOI
10.1575/1912/4078
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Keywords
Chemoautotrophic bacteria
Hydrothermal vents
Microbiology
Atlantis (Ship : 1996-) Cruise AT15-38
Hydrothermal vents
Microbiology
Atlantis (Ship : 1996-) Cruise AT15-38
Abstract
At deep‐sea hydrothermal vents chemolithoautotrophic microbes mediate the
transfer of geothermal chemical energy to higher trophic levels. To better
understand these underlying processes and the organisms catalyzing them, this
research used DNA Stable Isotope Probing (SIP) combined with Catalyzed Activated
Reporter Deposition‐Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (CARD‐FISH) to identify the
microorganisms chemoautotrophically supporting the food web at a diffuse flow
hydrothermal vent. Both anaerobic and aerobic shipboard incubations containing
various augmented electron donor and acceptor species showed that
Epsilonproteobacteria were the dominant chemoautotrophs with greater than 70%
of the cells counted within the first 24 hours. 13C DNA SIP identified unique
organisms not previously characterized from low temperature diffuse flow venting:
green sulfur bacteria (Chlorobi‐like organisms) possibly utilizing photoautotrophy,
aerobic Lutibacter litoralis‐like organisms growing under anaerobic conditions, and
Epsilonproteobacterial Thioreductor sp. at temperatures above maximum known
tolerances. This research illustrates both the promise and pitfalls of the SIP
technique applied to hydrothermal systems, concluding that timing of the
incubation experiments is the critical step in eliminating undesired 13C labeling.
These results set the stage for a more thorough future examination of diffuse flow
microorganisms by presenting interesting questions that second generation
experiments could be designed to answer.
Description
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution September 2010
Embargo Date
Citation
Richberg, K. P. (2010). Identification of chemoautotrophic microorganisms from a diffuse flow hydrothermal vent at EPR 9° North using 13C DNA Stable Isotope Probing and Catalyzed Activated Reporter Deposition-Fluorescence in situ Hybridization [Doctoral thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution]. Woods Hole Open Access Server. https://doi.org/10.1575/1912/4078