Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Sparse microbial populations persist from seafloor to basement in the slowly accumulating oxic sediment of the oligotrophic South Pacific Gyre (SPG). The physiological status of these communities, including their substrate metabolism, is previously unconstrained. Here we show that diverse aerobic members of communities in SPG sediments (4.3‒101.5 Ma) are capable of readily incorporating carbon and nitrogen substrates and dividing. Most of the 6986 individual cells analyzed with nanometer-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) actively incorporated isotope-labeled substrates. Many cells responded rapidly to incubation conditions, increasing total numbers by 4 orders of magnitude and taking up labeled carbon and nitrogen within 68 days after incubation. The response was generally faster (on average, 3.09 times) for nitrogen incorporation than for carbon incorporation. In contrast, anaerobic microbes were only minimally revived from this oxic sediment. Our results suggest that microbial communities widely distributed in organic-poor abyssal sediment consist mainly of aerobes that retain their metabolic potential under extremely low-energy conditions for up to 101.5 Ma.
Source: Nature Communications
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life below water
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,380
Awards: G1271847998, G1332936959, 3D visualization of microbes and surrounding environment by nano-xCT, G2009587354, G212979690, G2974954079, Exploration of the limits and adaptations of life in subseafloor biosphere, G3528343674, Elucidating genomic evolution and survival strategies of microbial communities inhabiting the oldest subterranean aquifer of the Earth, G4029873897, Census of Deep Subseafloor Life: Biogeographical distribution of microbial life in Earth's interior, G4246990472, G4405923680, Evolution process of microbes in subseafloor, Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigations (C-DEBI), G7032796150, G7224994925, G725652371, Ecophysiological analysis on subseafloor microorganisms by using NanoSIMS, Development of procedure for single cell genomics of sedimentary microbial cells, G7974004311, Exploration of subseafloor microbial biosphere through technical developments, G8587035332
OpenAlex ID: W3045900421