Metagenomes from High-Temperature ChemotrophicSystems Reveal Geochemical Controls on MicrobialCommunity Structure and Function
Inskeep WP, Rusch DB, Jay ZJ, Herrgard MJ, Kozubal MA, Richardson TH, Macur RE, Hamamura N, Jennings Rd, Fouke BW, Reysenbach A, Roberto F, Young M, Schwartz A, Boyd ES, Badger JH, Mathur EJ, Ortmann AC, Bateson M, Geesey G, Frazier M. 2010. Metagenomes from High-Temperature ChemotrophicSystems Reveal Geochemical Controls on MicrobialCommunity Structure and Function. PLos ONE. 5(3):1–15
The Yellowstone caldera contains the most numerous and diverse geothermal systems on Earth, yielding an extensive arrayof unique high-temperature environments that host a variety of deeply-rooted and understudied Archaea, Bacteria andEukarya. The combination of extreme temperature and chemical conditions encountered in geothermal environments oftenresults in considerably less microbial diversity than other terrestrial habitats and offers a tremendous opportunity forstudying the structure and function of indigenous microbial communities and for establishing linkages between putativemetabolisms and element cycling. Metagenome sequence (14–15,000 Sanger reads per site) was obtained for five hightemperature(.65uC) chemotrophic microbial communities sampled from geothermal springs (or pools) in YellowstoneNational Park (YNP) that exhibit a wide range in geochemistry including pH, dissolved sulfide, dissolved oxygen and ferrousiron. Metagenome data revealed significant differences in the predominant phyla associated with each of thesegeochemical environments. Novel members of the Sulfolobales are dominant in low pH environments, while otherCrenarchaeota including distantly-related Thermoproteales and Desulfurococcales populations dominate in suboxic sulfidicsediments. Several novel archaeal groups are well represented in an acidic (pH 3) Fe-oxyhydroxide mat, where a higher O2influx is accompanied with an increase in archaeal diversity. The presence or absence of genes and pathways important in Soxidation-reduction, H2-oxidation, and aerobic respiration (terminal oxidation) provide insight regarding the metabolicstrategies of indigenous organisms present in geothermal systems. Multiple-pathway and protein-specific functionalanalysis of metagenome sequence data corroborated results from phylogenetic analyses and clearly demonstrate majordifferences in metabolic potential across sites. The distribution of functional genes involved in electron transport isconsistent with the hypothesis that geochemical parameters (e.g., pH, sulfide, Fe, O2) control microbial community structureand function in YNP geothermal springs.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Inskeep, William; Rusch, Douglas; Jay, Zackary; Herrgard, Markus; Kozubal, Mark; Richardson, Toby; Macur, Richard; Hamamura, Natsuko; Jennings, Ryan; Fouke, Bruce; Reysenbach, Anna-Louise; Roberto, Frank; Young, Mark; Schwartz, Ariel; Boyd, Eric; Badger, Jonathan; Mathur, Eric; Ortmann, Alice; Bateson, Mary; Geesey, Gill; Frazier, Marvin
- Units
- YELL
- Keywords
- Fe, microbial diversity, O2, pH, sulfide, Yellowstone National Park