Microscale sulfur cycling in the phototrophic pink berry consortia of the <scp>S</scp>ippewissett <scp>S</scp>alt <scp>M</scp>arsh

Wilbanks, Elizabeth G.; Jaekel, Ulrike; Salman, Verena; Humphrey, Parris T.; Eisen, Jonathan A.; Facciotti, Marc T.; Buckley, Daniel H.; Zinder, Stephen H.; Druschel, Gregory K.; Fike, David A.; Orphan, Victoria J.

doi:10.1111/1462-2920.12388

Cited by 99 publications

(118 citation statements)

References 94 publications

(123 reference statements)

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“…OTUs belonging to the anoxygenic phototrophic sulfide-oxidizing Gammaproteobacteria genus, Thiococcus, were present at about 3.1% abundance in the biscuit-type mat, likely using the photosynthetic oxidation of sulfide produced by sulfate reducers to drive carbon fixation. This type of anaerobic closed internal sulfur cycle has been demonstrated in siliclastic tidal marshes at mid-latitudes (Wilbanks et al 2014). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Gene Sequencing-Based Analysis of Microbial-Mat Morphotypes, Caicos Platform, British West Indies

Trembath‐Reichert¹,

Ward²,

Slotznick³

et al. 2016

Journal of Sedimentary Research

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Active carbonate platforms provide modern analogs to study microbial-mat development and taphonomy in the sedimentary record. Microbial-mat descriptions and classifications for tropical tidal-flat environments have focused predominantly on morphological observations. This is exemplified by flat and biscuit-shaped mats, where the mat morphotypes are postulated to reflect different Cyanobacteria communities as the main mat-building taxa. To compare the total microbial communities of these two mat types and test this Cyanobacteria hypothesis, we applied optical microscopy and gene sequencing methods using samples from a tidal algal marsh on Little Ambergris Cay, Turks and Caicos, B.W.I. With gene sequencing we find that total diversity and community composition differs significantly between morphotypes; the biscuit mat is more diverse than the flat mat. Microscopy results support that Cyanobacteria populations colonizing the surface layer of these two mat types are responsible for much of the mat's structural elements; however, genetic data find the Cyanobacteria population is indistinguishable between the two mat types. The recovered Cyanobacteria populations fall predominantly into three taxa: Scytonema, Halomicronema, and Crinalium. We propose that the morphology of these two mat types is not controlled by the Cyanobacteria, but instead reflects a time-integrated microbial response to environmental factors, where the microbial community becomes more diverse with time since environmental disturbance.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Gene Sequencing-Based Analysis of Microbial-Mat Morphotypes, Caicos Platform, British West Indies

Trembath‐Reichert¹,

Ward²,

Slotznick³

et al. 2016

Journal of Sedimentary Research

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“…8 cm deep) was lying on top of sandy ground (Figure 1b). The phytodetritus layer contained high densities of conspicuous large pink aggregates composed of purple sulfur bacteria and sulfate-reducing bacteria (Seitz et al, 1993;Wilbanks et al, 2014). The overlying water measured ∼ 1-2 cm during low tide and ca.…”

Section: Description Of the Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The very active and dynamic sulfur cycling in Sippewissett is reflected by overall high total sulfide concentrations and high core-to-core fluctuations of total sulfide (Figure 2b), as well as by the high abundance of sulfur-cycling microorganisms (Wilbanks et al, 2014, Supplementary Table S2). This sulfide pool provides a substantial reservoir of electron donor for the sulfide-oxidizing community, including pink consortia (Seitz et al, 1993;Wilbanks et al, 2014) and Achromatium, while also being toxic at certain concentrations. Sippewissett Achromatium take part in the sedimentary sulfur cycle by storing zerovalent sulfur in the form of S 8 sulfur (Figure 3a) that is most likely produced during the oxidation of sulfide in anoxic regions of the sediment, as the amount of intracellular sulfur increases with depth (Figures 2e and 3c).…”

Section: Identification Of Achromatiummentioning

confidence: 99%

Calcite-accumulating large sulfur bacteria of the genus Achromatium in Sippewissett Salt Marsh

et al. 2015

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Large sulfur bacteria of the genus Achromatium are exceptional among Bacteria and Archaea as they can accumulate high amounts of internal calcite. Although known for more than 100 years, they remain uncultured, and only freshwater populations have been studied so far. Here we investigate a marine population of calcite-accumulating bacteria that is primarily found at the sediment surface of tide pools in a salt marsh, where high sulfide concentrations meet oversaturated oxygen concentrations during the day. Dynamic sulfur cycling by phototrophic sulfide-oxidizing and heterotrophic sulfate-reducing bacteria co-occurring in these sediments creates a highly sulfidic environment that we propose induces behavioral differences in the Achromatium population compared with reported migration patterns in a low-sulfide environment. Fluctuating intracellular calcium/sulfur ratios at different depths and times of day indicate a biochemical reaction of the salt marsh Achromatium to diurnal changes in sedimentary redox conditions. We correlate this calcite dynamic with new evidence regarding its formation/mobilization and suggest general implications as well as a possible biological function of calcite accumulation in large bacteria in the sediment environment that is governed by gradients. Finally, we propose a new taxonomic classification of the salt marsh Achromatium based on their adaptation to a significantly different habitat than their freshwater relatives, as indicated by their differential behavior as well as phylogenetic distance on 16S ribosomal RNA gene level. In future studies, whole-genome characterization and additional ecophysiological factors could further support the distinctive position of salt marsh Achromatium.

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“…This captured sulfide preserves the isotopic composition of the ambient sulfide, offset to slightly lower  34 S values by ~1.2 ± 0.5‰ associated with the diffusion of sulfide into the film and subsequent reaction with silver to form Ag 2 S precipitates. The resulting isotopic data can be collected at ~0.5 cm resolution using traditional gas source mass spectrometry, while higher-resolution analyses are possible using either laser-ablation (Goodridge and Valentine, 2016) or secondary ion mass spectrometry (Fike et al, 2009;Wilbanks et al, 2014) techniques. Together with additional methods to assess ambient sulfide under development (Yin et al, 2017), these approaches provide a way to link meso-scale geochemical profiles down to the micron-scale metabolic activity that drives them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatially resolved capture of hydrogen sulfide from the water column and sedimentary pore waters for abundance and stable isotopic analysis

et al. 2017

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Sulfur cycling is ubiquitous in sedimentary environments, where it plays a major role in mediating carbon remineralization and impacts both local and global redox budgets. Microbial sulfur cycling is dominated by metabolic activity that either produces (e.g., sulfate reduction, disproportionation) or consumes (sulfide oxidation) hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S). As such, improved constraints on the production, distribution, and consumption of H 2 S in the natural environment will increase our understanding of microbial sulfur cycling. These different microbial sulfur metabolisms are additionally associated with particular stable isotopic fractionations. Coupling measurements of the isotopic composition of the sulfide with its distribution can provide additional information about environmental conditions and microbial ecology. Here we investigate the kinetics of sulfide capture on photographic films as a way to document the spatial distribution of sulfide in complex natural environments as well as for in situ capture of H 2 S for subsequent stable isotopic analysis. Laboratory experiments and timed field deployments demonstrate the ability to infer ambient sulfide abundances from the yield of sulfide on the films. This captured sulfide preserves the isotopic composition of the ambient sulfide, offset to slightly lower  34 S values by ~1.2 ± 0.5‰ associated with the diffusion of sulfide into the film and subsequent reaction with silver to form Ag 2 S precipitates. The resulting data enable the exploration of cm-scale lateral heterogeneity that complement most geochemical profiles using traditional techniques in natural environments. Because these films can easily be deployed over a large spatial area, they are also ideal for real-time assessment of the spatial and temporal dynamics of a site during initial reconnaissance and for integration over long timescales to capture ephemeral processes. ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT ___________________________________________________________________

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Microscale sulfur cycling in the phototrophic pink berry consortia of the Sippewissett Salt Marsh

Cited by 99 publications

References 94 publications

Gene Sequencing-Based Analysis of Microbial-Mat Morphotypes, Caicos Platform, British West Indies

Gene Sequencing-Based Analysis of Microbial-Mat Morphotypes, Caicos Platform, British West Indies

Calcite-accumulating large sulfur bacteria of the genus Achromatium in Sippewissett Salt Marsh

Spatially resolved capture of hydrogen sulfide from the water column and sedimentary pore waters for abundance and stable isotopic analysis

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