Generation and Utilization of Volatile Fatty Acids and Alcohols in Hydrothermally Altered Sediments in the Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California

Zhuang, Guang‐Chao; Montgomery, Andrew; Samarkin, V.; Song, Min; Liu, Jiarui; Schubotz, Florence; Teske, Andreas; Hinrichs, Kai‐Uwe; Joye, Samantha B.

doi:10.1029/2018gl081284

Cited by 27 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…Although methanol was previously considered as the noncompetitive substrate for methanogen (Oremland and Polcin ), much higher oxidation rates than the methanogenesis rates indicated methanol was predominantly metabolized by nonmethanogenic processes (e.g., sulfate‐reducing bacteria). This is consistent with recent studies (Zhuang et al ; Zhuang et al ), which demonstrated that the metabolism of methanol by methanogen vs. sulfate‐reducing bacteria differed from sites and habitats. In contrast, the turnover of methylamine to methane and CO 2 were comparable at deeper depth of ROV2 and ROV3, suggesting both methanogenic and nonmethanogenic processes were responsible for the utilization of methylamine.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Biogeochemistry, microbial activity, and diversity in surface and subsurface deep‐sea sediments of South China Sea

Zhuang

Liu

Liang

et al. 2019

Limnology & Oceanography

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Deep‐sea environments are the largest ecosystem of the global biosphere and constitute a crucial role in global biogeochemical cycles. We integrated biogeochemical and molecular ecological approaches to investigate microbial activity and diversity, with the goal of elucidating pathways and regulations of methane cycling and low molecular weight (LMW) compounds metabolism in different deep‐sea sediments of the South China Sea. We found that methanogenesis, anaerobic oxidation of methane, and sulfate reduction occurred concurrently with low rates in surface sediments of the Haima area (~ 50 cm push cores) and in subsurface sediments of the Shenhu area (~ 8 m piston core). In the presence of sulfate, methanogenesis was fueled by methylotrophic substrates, in agreement with thermodynamic calculations as well as the detection of the methylotrophic methanogenic genus Methanococcoides. Higher oxidation rates of LMW compounds than methanogenesis rates, suggested acetate, and to a lesser extent, methanol and methylamine, were predominantly utilized as an energy source by nonmethanogenic microorganisms (e.g., sulfate‐reducing bacteria). Diverse methanotrophic archaea (e.g., ANME‐1a/b and ANME‐2a/b) and sulfate‐reducing bacteria (e.g., Desulfarculaceae and Desulfobacteraceae) were observed and the abundance of mcrA and dsrA genes varied over depth and between sites. Dominant archaeal groups, such as Bathyarchaeota, Thermoplasmatale, Woesearchaeota, Lokiarchaeota, were consistently detected at both areas. Multivariate statistical analysis demonstrated sulfate was the most relevant environmental variable that correlated with the archaeal community composition. These results suggested that the presence of sulfate controlled methane cycling and LMW carbon metabolism pathways, and also affected the composition of the microbial community.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Biogeochemistry, microbial activity, and diversity in surface and subsurface deep‐sea sediments of South China Sea

Zhuang

Liu

Liang

et al. 2019

Limnology & Oceanography

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“…It should be noted, however, that most of these studies focused solely on the Atlantic Ocean and mainly on shallow, aerobic sub‐surface waters, with only one study investigating a gradient of up to 500 m depth (Dixon and Nightingale, 2012). Estimates of methanol levels in coastal area sediments range between 0.3 μM and over 100 μM in environments as diverse as the Orca Basin in the Gulf Mexico, East Japan Sea and the South China Sea (Yanagawa et al ., 2016; Zhuang et al ., 2014; 2019a,b). In these studies, methanol concentrations were found to increase with depth, with the lowest concentrations close to the seafloor and the highest concentrations at depths of 10–20 m below the seafloor.…”

Section: Sources Of Methanol In Marine Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In these studies, methanol concentrations were found to increase with depth, with the lowest concentrations close to the seafloor and the highest concentrations at depths of 10–20 m below the seafloor. This increase in methanol with depth is attributed to higher methanol turnover to CO 2 near the sediment‐water column interphase (Zhuang et al ., 2019a,b). Table 1 gives an overview of marine anaerobic sediments where methanol concentrations have been measured.…”

Section: Sources Of Methanol In Marine Sedimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Anaerobic microbial methanol conversion in marine sediments

Fischer

Sánchez‐Andrea

Stams

et al. 2021

Environmental Microbiology

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Methanol is an ubiquitous compound that plays a role in microbial processes as a carbon and energy source, intermediate in metabolic processes or as end product in fermentation. In anoxic environments, methanol can act as the sole carbon and energy source for several guilds of microorganisms: sulfatereducing microorganisms, nitrate-reducing microorganisms, acetogens and methanogens. In marine sediments, these guilds compete for methanol as their common substrate, employing different biochemical pathways. In this review, we will give an overview of current knowledge of the various ways in which methanol reaches marine sediments, the ecology of microorganisms capable of utilizing methanol and their metabolism. Furthermore, through a metagenomic analysis, we shed light on the unknown diversity of methanol utilizers in marine sediments which is yet to be explored.

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“…In particular, acetate oxidation has been used as an indicator of organic carbon decomposition in anoxic sediments (Finke et al, 2007;Sørensen et al, 1981). Although much attention has been paid to the importance of acetate in marine sedimentary systems (e.g., Zhuang, Montgomery, & Joye, 2019;Zhuang, Montgomery, Samarkin, et al, 2019), the cycling of acetate in the oceanic water column remains largely unconstrained (Ho et al, 2002;Wu et al, 1997;Wu & Scranton, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Significance of Acetate as a Microbial Carbon and Energy Source in the Water Column of Gulf of Mexico: Implications for Marine Carbon Cycling

Zhuang

Peña-Montenegro

Montgomery

et al. 2019

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

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Acetate is a key intermediate of organic matter mineralization, but its metabolism remains largely unconstrained in the pelagic ocean. We conducted an integrated biogeochemical study to investigate microbial acetate cycling in the northern Gulf of Mexico with the goal of elucidating the importance of acetate as a carbon and energy source. Acetate was used primarily as an energy source, as evidenced by observed oxidation rates (rate constant k: 0.06–0.22 day−1) that varied between 42% and 96% of total biological acetate uptake (i.e., assimilation + oxidation; k: 0.06–0.34 day−1). The assimilation of acetate into biomass (k: 0.01–0.20 day−1) illustrated the potential significance of acetate as a biomass carbon source, particularly in nutrient‐rich coastal waters. No relationship between acetate assimilation or oxidation and environmental factors, such as chlorophyll and nutrients, was observed. However, elevated acetate uptake in reduced oxygen waters characterized by particulate organic carbon mineralization suggests that acetate metabolism may be a good proxy for particulate organic carbon breakdown. Molecular genetic analysis revealed that SAR11 Alphaproteobacteria were the most abundant heterotrophic bacteria and suggest that they may utilize acetate. At some sites, acetate carbon may have accounted for up to 50.4% of the bacterial carbon production. These results suggest that acetate may serve as an important carbon and energy source for heterotrophic bacteria thus revealing a potentially significant role of acetate for dissolved organic carbon cycling in the ocean.

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Generation and Utilization of Volatile Fatty Acids and Alcohols in Hydrothermally Altered Sediments in the Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California

Cited by 27 publications

References 50 publications

Biogeochemistry, microbial activity, and diversity in surface and subsurface deep‐sea sediments of South China Sea

Biogeochemistry, microbial activity, and diversity in surface and subsurface deep‐sea sediments of South China Sea

Anaerobic microbial methanol conversion in marine sediments

Significance of Acetate as a Microbial Carbon and Energy Source in the Water Column of Gulf of Mexico: Implications for Marine Carbon Cycling

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