Mats of psychrophilic thiotrophic bacteria associated with cold seeps of the Barents Sea ...

• Main Authors: Ramette, Alban Nicolas, Felden, J., Boetius, A., Schulz-Vogt, H. N., Salman, V., Grünke, S., Lichtschlag, A., De Beer, D.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2012
• Subjects: 570 Life sciences; biology; 360 Social problems & social services; 610 Medicine & health; Barents Sea
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.7892/boris.91383; http://boris.unibe.ch/91383/

This study investigated the bacterial diversity associated with microbial mats of polar deep-sea cold seeps. The mats were associated with high upward fluxes of sulfide produced by anaerobic oxidation of methane, and grew at temperatures close to the freezing point of seawater. They ranged from small patches of 0.2–5 m in diameter (gray mats) to extensive fields covering up to 850 m2 of seafloor (white mats) and were formed by diverse sulfide-oxidizing bacteria differing in color and size. Overall, both the dominant mat-forming thiotrophs as well as the associated bacterial communities inhabiting the mats differed in composition for each mat type as determined by microscopy, 16S rRNA gene sequencing and automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis. While the smaller gray mats were associated with a highly diverse composition of sulfide oxidizers, the larger white mats were composed of only 1–2 types of gliding Beggiatoa filaments. Molecular analyses showed that most of the dominant mat-forming sulfide ...