Genomic evidence for sulfur intermediates as new biogeochemical hubs in a model aquatic microbial ecosystem
Abstract Background The sulfur cycle encompasses a series of complex aerobic and anaerobic transformations of S-containing molecules and plays a fundamental role in cellular and ecosystem-level processes, influencing biological carbon transfers and other biogeochemical cycles. Despite their importan...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:f73908424a12412c8e2518cf7be994f8 2023-05-15T15:00:58+02:00 Genomic evidence for sulfur intermediates as new biogeochemical hubs in a model aquatic microbial ecosystem Adrien Vigneron Perrine Cruaud Alexander I. Culley Raoul-Marie Couture Connie Lovejoy Warwick F. Vincent 2021-02-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-021-00999-x https://doaj.org/article/f73908424a12412c8e2518cf7be994f8 EN eng BMC https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-021-00999-x https://doaj.org/toc/2049-2618 doi:10.1186/s40168-021-00999-x 2049-2618 https://doaj.org/article/f73908424a12412c8e2518cf7be994f8 Microbiome, Vol 9, Iss 1, Pp 1-14 (2021) Meromictic lakes Anoxic basin Arctic Ocean Sulfur cycling Organic sulfur Sulfur intermediates Microbial ecology QR100-130 article 2021 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-021-00999-x 2022-12-31T15:15:31Z Abstract Background The sulfur cycle encompasses a series of complex aerobic and anaerobic transformations of S-containing molecules and plays a fundamental role in cellular and ecosystem-level processes, influencing biological carbon transfers and other biogeochemical cycles. Despite their importance, the microbial communities and metabolic pathways involved in these transformations remain poorly understood, especially for inorganic sulfur compounds of intermediate oxidation states (thiosulfate, tetrathionate, sulfite, polysulfides). Isolated and highly stratified, the extreme geochemical and environmental features of meromictic ice-capped Lake A, in the Canadian High Arctic, provided an ideal model ecosystem to resolve the distribution and metabolism of aquatic sulfur cycling microorganisms along redox and salinity gradients. Results Applying complementary molecular approaches, we identified sharply contrasting microbial communities and metabolic potentials among the markedly distinct water layers of Lake A, with similarities to diverse fresh, brackish and saline water microbiomes. Sulfur cycling genes were abundant at all depths and covaried with bacterial abundance. Genes for oxidative processes occurred in samples from the oxic freshwater layers, reductive reactions in the anoxic and sulfidic bottom waters and genes for both transformations at the chemocline. Up to 154 different genomic bins with potential for sulfur transformation were recovered, revealing a panoply of taxonomically diverse microorganisms with complex metabolic pathways for biogeochemical sulfur reactions. Genes for the utilization of sulfur cycle intermediates were widespread throughout the water column, co-occurring with sulfate reduction or sulfide oxidation pathways. The genomic bin composition suggested that in addition to chemical oxidation, these intermediate sulfur compounds were likely produced by the predominant sulfur chemo- and photo-oxidisers at the chemocline and by diverse microbial degraders of organic sulfur molecules. ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Ocean Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Arctic Ocean Microbiome 9 1 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Meromictic lakes Anoxic basin Arctic Ocean Sulfur cycling Organic sulfur Sulfur intermediates Microbial ecology QR100-130 |
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Meromictic lakes Anoxic basin Arctic Ocean Sulfur cycling Organic sulfur Sulfur intermediates Microbial ecology QR100-130 Adrien Vigneron Perrine Cruaud Alexander I. Culley Raoul-Marie Couture Connie Lovejoy Warwick F. Vincent Genomic evidence for sulfur intermediates as new biogeochemical hubs in a model aquatic microbial ecosystem |
topic_facet |
Meromictic lakes Anoxic basin Arctic Ocean Sulfur cycling Organic sulfur Sulfur intermediates Microbial ecology QR100-130 |
description |
Abstract Background The sulfur cycle encompasses a series of complex aerobic and anaerobic transformations of S-containing molecules and plays a fundamental role in cellular and ecosystem-level processes, influencing biological carbon transfers and other biogeochemical cycles. Despite their importance, the microbial communities and metabolic pathways involved in these transformations remain poorly understood, especially for inorganic sulfur compounds of intermediate oxidation states (thiosulfate, tetrathionate, sulfite, polysulfides). Isolated and highly stratified, the extreme geochemical and environmental features of meromictic ice-capped Lake A, in the Canadian High Arctic, provided an ideal model ecosystem to resolve the distribution and metabolism of aquatic sulfur cycling microorganisms along redox and salinity gradients. Results Applying complementary molecular approaches, we identified sharply contrasting microbial communities and metabolic potentials among the markedly distinct water layers of Lake A, with similarities to diverse fresh, brackish and saline water microbiomes. Sulfur cycling genes were abundant at all depths and covaried with bacterial abundance. Genes for oxidative processes occurred in samples from the oxic freshwater layers, reductive reactions in the anoxic and sulfidic bottom waters and genes for both transformations at the chemocline. Up to 154 different genomic bins with potential for sulfur transformation were recovered, revealing a panoply of taxonomically diverse microorganisms with complex metabolic pathways for biogeochemical sulfur reactions. Genes for the utilization of sulfur cycle intermediates were widespread throughout the water column, co-occurring with sulfate reduction or sulfide oxidation pathways. The genomic bin composition suggested that in addition to chemical oxidation, these intermediate sulfur compounds were likely produced by the predominant sulfur chemo- and photo-oxidisers at the chemocline and by diverse microbial degraders of organic sulfur molecules. ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Adrien Vigneron Perrine Cruaud Alexander I. Culley Raoul-Marie Couture Connie Lovejoy Warwick F. Vincent |
author_facet |
Adrien Vigneron Perrine Cruaud Alexander I. Culley Raoul-Marie Couture Connie Lovejoy Warwick F. Vincent |
author_sort |
Adrien Vigneron |
title |
Genomic evidence for sulfur intermediates as new biogeochemical hubs in a model aquatic microbial ecosystem |
title_short |
Genomic evidence for sulfur intermediates as new biogeochemical hubs in a model aquatic microbial ecosystem |
title_full |
Genomic evidence for sulfur intermediates as new biogeochemical hubs in a model aquatic microbial ecosystem |
title_fullStr |
Genomic evidence for sulfur intermediates as new biogeochemical hubs in a model aquatic microbial ecosystem |
title_full_unstemmed |
Genomic evidence for sulfur intermediates as new biogeochemical hubs in a model aquatic microbial ecosystem |
title_sort |
genomic evidence for sulfur intermediates as new biogeochemical hubs in a model aquatic microbial ecosystem |
publisher |
BMC |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-021-00999-x https://doaj.org/article/f73908424a12412c8e2518cf7be994f8 |
geographic |
Arctic Arctic Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Ocean |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Ocean |
op_source |
Microbiome, Vol 9, Iss 1, Pp 1-14 (2021) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-021-00999-x https://doaj.org/toc/2049-2618 doi:10.1186/s40168-021-00999-x 2049-2618 https://doaj.org/article/f73908424a12412c8e2518cf7be994f8 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-021-00999-x |
container_title |
Microbiome |
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9 |
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1 |
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1766333012790738944 |