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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Jan DolfingORCiD, Professor Casey Hubert
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2019, The Author(s). The lack of microbial genomes and isolates from the deep seabed means that very little is known about the ecology of this vast habitat. Here, we investigate energy and carbon acquisition strategies of microbial communities from three deep seabed petroleum seeps (3 km water depth) in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. Shotgun metagenomic analysis reveals that each sediment harbors diverse communities of chemoheterotrophs and chemolithotrophs. We recovered 82 metagenome-assembled genomes affiliated with 21 different archaeal and bacterial phyla. Multiple genomes encode enzymes for anaerobic oxidation of aliphatic and aromatic compounds, including those of candidate phyla Aerophobetes, Aminicenantes, TA06 and Bathyarchaeota. Microbial interactions are predicted to be driven by acetate and molecular hydrogen. These findings are supported by sediment geochemistry, metabolomics, and thermodynamic modelling. Overall, we infer that deep-sea sediments experiencing thermogenic hydrocarbon inputs harbor phylogenetically and functionally diverse communities potentially sustained through anaerobic hydrocarbon, acetate and hydrogen metabolism.
Author(s): Dong X, Greening C, Rattray JE, Chakraborty A, Chuvochina M, Mayumi D, Dolfing J, Li C, Brooks JM, Bernard BB, Groves RA, Lewis IA, Hubert CRJ
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Nature Communications
Year: 2019
Volume: 10
Issue: 1
Print publication date: 01/12/2019
Online publication date: 18/04/2019
Acceptance date: 20/03/2019
Date deposited: 30/04/2019
ISSN (electronic): 2041-1723
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09747-0
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09747-0
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