Heterotrophic and Autotrophic Microbial Populations in Cold Perennial Springs of the High Arctic
ABSTRACT The saline springs of Gypsum Hill in the Canadian high Arctic are a rare example of cold springs originating from deep groundwater and rising to the surface through thick permafrost. The heterotrophic bacteria and autotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (up to 40% of the total microbial commu...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.00359-08 https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/AEM.00359-08 |
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crasmicro:10.1128/aem.00359-08 2024-09-15T18:30:07+00:00 Heterotrophic and Autotrophic Microbial Populations in Cold Perennial Springs of the High Arctic Perreault, Nancy N. Greer, Charles W. Andersen, Dale T. Tille, Stefanie Lacrampe-Couloume, Georges Lollar, Barbara Sherwood Whyte, Lyle G. 2008 http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.00359-08 https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/AEM.00359-08 en eng American Society for Microbiology https://journals.asm.org/non-commercial-tdm-license Applied and Environmental Microbiology volume 74, issue 22, page 6898-6907 ISSN 0099-2240 1098-5336 journal-article 2008 crasmicro https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.00359-08 2024-08-19T04:06:04Z ABSTRACT The saline springs of Gypsum Hill in the Canadian high Arctic are a rare example of cold springs originating from deep groundwater and rising to the surface through thick permafrost. The heterotrophic bacteria and autotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (up to 40% of the total microbial community) isolated from the spring waters and sediments were classified into four phyla ( Actinobacteria , Bacteroidetes , Firmicutes , and Proteobacteria ) based on 16S rRNA gene analysis; heterotrophic isolates were primarily psychrotolerant, salt-tolerant, facultative anaerobes. Some of the isolates contained genes for thiosulfate oxidation ( soxB ) and anoxygenic photosynthesis ( pufM ), possibly enabling the strains to better compete in these sulfur-rich environments subject to long periods of illumination in the Arctic summer. Although leucine uptake by the spring water microbial community was low, CO 2 uptake was relatively high under dark incubation, reinforcing the idea that primary production by chemoautotrophs is an important process in the springs. The small amounts of hydrocarbons in gases exsolving from the springs (0.38 to 0.51% CH 4 ) were compositionally and isotopically consistent with microbial methanogenesis and possible methanotrophy. Anaerobic heterotrophic sulfur oxidation and aerobic autotrophic sulfur oxidation activities were demonstrated in sediment slurries. Overall, our results describe an active microbial community capable of sustainability in an extreme environment that experiences prolonged periods of continuous light or darkness, low temperatures, and moderate salinity, where life seems to rely on chemolithoautotrophy. Article in Journal/Newspaper permafrost ASM Journals (American Society for Microbiology) Applied and Environmental Microbiology 74 22 6898 6907 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
ASM Journals (American Society for Microbiology) |
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crasmicro |
language |
English |
description |
ABSTRACT The saline springs of Gypsum Hill in the Canadian high Arctic are a rare example of cold springs originating from deep groundwater and rising to the surface through thick permafrost. The heterotrophic bacteria and autotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (up to 40% of the total microbial community) isolated from the spring waters and sediments were classified into four phyla ( Actinobacteria , Bacteroidetes , Firmicutes , and Proteobacteria ) based on 16S rRNA gene analysis; heterotrophic isolates were primarily psychrotolerant, salt-tolerant, facultative anaerobes. Some of the isolates contained genes for thiosulfate oxidation ( soxB ) and anoxygenic photosynthesis ( pufM ), possibly enabling the strains to better compete in these sulfur-rich environments subject to long periods of illumination in the Arctic summer. Although leucine uptake by the spring water microbial community was low, CO 2 uptake was relatively high under dark incubation, reinforcing the idea that primary production by chemoautotrophs is an important process in the springs. The small amounts of hydrocarbons in gases exsolving from the springs (0.38 to 0.51% CH 4 ) were compositionally and isotopically consistent with microbial methanogenesis and possible methanotrophy. Anaerobic heterotrophic sulfur oxidation and aerobic autotrophic sulfur oxidation activities were demonstrated in sediment slurries. Overall, our results describe an active microbial community capable of sustainability in an extreme environment that experiences prolonged periods of continuous light or darkness, low temperatures, and moderate salinity, where life seems to rely on chemolithoautotrophy. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Perreault, Nancy N. Greer, Charles W. Andersen, Dale T. Tille, Stefanie Lacrampe-Couloume, Georges Lollar, Barbara Sherwood Whyte, Lyle G. |
spellingShingle |
Perreault, Nancy N. Greer, Charles W. Andersen, Dale T. Tille, Stefanie Lacrampe-Couloume, Georges Lollar, Barbara Sherwood Whyte, Lyle G. Heterotrophic and Autotrophic Microbial Populations in Cold Perennial Springs of the High Arctic |
author_facet |
Perreault, Nancy N. Greer, Charles W. Andersen, Dale T. Tille, Stefanie Lacrampe-Couloume, Georges Lollar, Barbara Sherwood Whyte, Lyle G. |
author_sort |
Perreault, Nancy N. |
title |
Heterotrophic and Autotrophic Microbial Populations in Cold Perennial Springs of the High Arctic |
title_short |
Heterotrophic and Autotrophic Microbial Populations in Cold Perennial Springs of the High Arctic |
title_full |
Heterotrophic and Autotrophic Microbial Populations in Cold Perennial Springs of the High Arctic |
title_fullStr |
Heterotrophic and Autotrophic Microbial Populations in Cold Perennial Springs of the High Arctic |
title_full_unstemmed |
Heterotrophic and Autotrophic Microbial Populations in Cold Perennial Springs of the High Arctic |
title_sort |
heterotrophic and autotrophic microbial populations in cold perennial springs of the high arctic |
publisher |
American Society for Microbiology |
publishDate |
2008 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.00359-08 https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/AEM.00359-08 |
genre |
permafrost |
genre_facet |
permafrost |
op_source |
Applied and Environmental Microbiology volume 74, issue 22, page 6898-6907 ISSN 0099-2240 1098-5336 |
op_rights |
https://journals.asm.org/non-commercial-tdm-license |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.00359-08 |
container_title |
Applied and Environmental Microbiology |
container_volume |
74 |
container_issue |
22 |
container_start_page |
6898 |
op_container_end_page |
6907 |
_version_ |
1810471597316767744 |