A thiotrophic microbial community in an acidic brine lake in Northern Chile
Autor: | Mariela Guajardo, Claudia Nuñez, Cinthya Tebes-Cayo, Guillermo Chong Diaz, Cecilia Demergasso, Carol S. Davis-Belmar, J. J. Pueyo, Nia Oetiker, Karem Gallardo, Lorena Escudero |
---|---|
Rok vydání: | 2018 |
Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
Salt pan DNA Bacterial Geologic Sediments Firmicutes 030106 microbiology chemistry.chemical_element Microbiology Carbon Cycle 03 medical and health sciences RNA Ribosomal 16S Ecosystem Chile Molecular Biology Phylogeny geography Facultative geography.geographical_feature_category biology Bacteria General Medicine Biodiversity Acid mine drainage biology.organism_classification Sulfur Lakes 030104 developmental biology Microbial population biology chemistry Environmental chemistry Environmental science Salts Metagenomics Proteobacteria Energy Metabolism |
Zdroj: | Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. 111(8) |
ISSN: | 1572-9699 |
Popis: | The endorheic basins of the Northern Chilean Altiplano contain saline lakes and salt flats. Two of the salt flats, Gorbea and Ignorado, have high acidic brines. The causes of the local acidity have been attributed to the occurrence of volcanic native sulfur, the release of sulfuric acid by oxidation, and the low buffering capacity of the rocks in the area. Understanding the microbial community composition and available energy in this pristine ecosystem is relevant in determining the origin of the acidity and in supporting the rationale of conservation policies. Besides, a comparison between similar systems in Australia highlights key microbial components and specific ones associated with geological settings and environmental conditions. Sediment and water samples from the Salar de Gorbea were collected, physicochemical parameters measured and geochemical and molecular biological analyses performed. A low diversity microbial community was observed in brines and sediments dominated by Actinobacteria, Algae, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. Most of the constituent genera have been reported to be either sulfur oxidizing microorganisms or ones having the potential for sulfur oxidation given available genomic data and information drawn from the literature on cultured relatives. In addition, a link between sulfur oxidation and carbon fixation was observed. In contrast, to acid mine drainage communities, Gorbea microbial diversity is mainly supported by chemolithoheterotrophic, facultative chemolithoautotrophic and oligotrophic sulfur oxidizing populations indicating that microbial activity should also be considered as a causative agent of local acidity. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
Externí odkaz: |