Identification of microbial communities in the terminal lobes of the Congo turbiditic system

• Main Author: Bessette, Sandrine
• Other Authors: Brest, Godfroy, Anne
• Format: Thesis
• Language: French
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: Système turbiditique du Congo; Sédiment riche en matière organique; Communautés microbiennes; Bactéries méthanotrophes aérobies; Suintements de méthane; Congo turbiditic system; Organic-rich sediment; Microbial communities; Aerobic methane oxidizing bacteria; Methane seeps; geo; socio; South Atlantic Ocean
• Online Access: http://www.theses.fr/2016BRES0022/document

The Congo deep sea fan, located in the Congo-Angola continental margin (West African coast, Equatorial South Atlantic Ocean) represents a unique deep-sea sedimentary ecosystem. It is characterized by high organic matter inputs from the Congo River, that flow along a canyon and through presently active channel system-lifted into the deeper areas (5 000 m) where the lobes system develops.The aim of this thesis is to study the spatial distribution as well as the phylogenetic and functional diversity of archaeal and bacterial communities in relation with environmental characteristics and constraints of the terminal lobes of the Congo deep see fan, one of the largest submarine fan systems in the world.This study highlights geographical distribution of microbial communities constrained by the distal and proximal distance of the different lobes from the Congo river's channel mouth as well as linked to the electron donor and acceptor availability from organic matter diagenesis. This study revealed quite high abundance of aerobic methane oxidizing bacteria cells at peculiar sedimentary habitats dominated by Vesicomyid bivalves, microbial mats and reduced sediments typical of cold-seep environments. These communities are not only related to the ones encountered in cold seeps, but also to the ones in terrestrial habitats despite an approximately distance of 1000 km offshore the African coast.This thesis underlines the interest of pluridisciplinary studies to understand the ecosystem diversity and functioning in the terminal lobes of the Congo turbiditic system and provides further insights into the underexplored microbial diversity from deep-sea fans. L'éventail sous-marin profond du Congo, situé sur la marge continentale Congo-Angolaise (côte Ouest Africaine, Océan Atlantique Equatorial Sud) représente un écosystème sédimentaire marin profond unique.Celui-ci est caractérisé par de forts apports en matière organique provenant du fleuve Congo, qui se déversent le long du canyon et au travers de systèmes chenal Jevées ...