Record Details

Microbial communities from methane hydrate-bearing deep marine sediments in a forearc basin

ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University

Field Value
Title Microbial communities from methane hydrate-bearing deep marine sediments in a forearc basin
Names Reed, David W. (creator)
Fujita, Yoshiko (creator)
Delwiche, Mark E. (creator)
Blackwelder, D. Brad (creator)
Sheridan, Peter P. (creator)
Uchida, Takashi (creator)
Colwell, Frederick (creator)
Date Issued 2002-08 (iso8601)
Abstract Microbial communities in cores obtained from methane hydrate-bearing deep marine sediments (down to
more than 300 m below the seafloor) in the forearc basin of the Nankai Trough near Japan were characterized
with cultivation-dependent and -independent techniques. Acridine orange direct count data indicated that cell
numbers generally decreased with sediment depth. Lipid biomarker analyses indicated the presence of viable
biomass at concentrations greater than previously reported for terrestrial subsurface environments at similar
depths. Archaeal lipids were more abundant than bacterial lipids. Methane was produced from both acetate
and hydrogen in enrichments inoculated with sediment from all depths evaluated, at both 10 and 35°C.
Characterization of 16S rRNA genes amplified from the sediments indicated that archaeal clones could be
discretely grouped within the Euryarchaeota and Crenarchaeota domains. The bacterial clones exhibited greater
overall diversity than the archaeal clones, with sequences related to the Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes, Actinobacteria,
Proteobacteria, and green nonsulfur groups. The majority of the bacterial clones were either
members of a novel lineage or most closely related to uncultured clones. The results of these analyses suggest
that the microbial community in this environment is distinct from those in previously characterized methane
hydrate-bearing sediments.
Genre Article
Identifier Blackwelder, D. B., Colwell, F. S., Delwiche, M. E., Fujita, Y., Reed, D. W., Sheridan, P. P., and Uchida, T., (2002). Microbial communities from methane hydrate-bearing deep marine sediments in a forearc basin. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 68(8), 3759-3770.

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