Microbial community structure of a serpentine-hosted abiotic gas seepage at the Chimaera ophiolite,TurkeyShow others and affiliations
2017 (English)In: Applied and Environmental Microbiology, ISSN 0099-2240, Vol. 83, no 12, article id e03430-16Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
The surface waters at the ultramafic ophiolitic outcrop in Chimaera, Turkey, are characterized by high pH values and high metal levels due to the percolation of fluids through areas of active serpentinization. We describe the influence of the liquid chemistry, mineralogy, and H2 and CH4 levels on the bacterial community structure in a semidry, exposed, ultramafic environment. The bacterial and archaeal community structures were monitored using Illumina sequencing targeting the 16S rRNA gene. At all sampling points, four phyla, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Acidobacteria, accounted for the majority of taxa. Members of the Chloroflexi phylum dominated low-diversity sites, whereas Proteobacteria dominated high-diversity sites. Methane, nitrogen, iron, and hydrogen oxidizers were detected as well as archaea and metal-resistant bacteria. IMPORTANCE Our study is a comprehensive microbial investigation of the Chimaera ophiolite. DNA has been extracted from 16 sites in the area and has been studied from microbial and geochemical points of view. We describe a microbial community structure that is dependent on terrestrial, serpentinization-driven abiotic H2, which is poorly studied due to the rarity of these environments on Earth.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Washington, 2017. Vol. 83, no 12, article id e03430-16
Keywords [en]
Archaea, bacteria, hydrogen, microbial community structure, ophiolite, serpentinization
National Category
Other Earth Sciences
Research subject
The changing Earth; Ecosystems and species history
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:nrm:diva-2686DOI: 10.1128/AEM.03430-16OAI: oai:DiVA.org:nrm-2686DiVA, id: diva2:1167720
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2012-43642017-12-192017-12-192025-02-07Bibliographically approved