Rapid metabolism fosters microbial survival in the deep, hot subseafloor biosphere

F. Beulig; F. Schubert; R. R. Adhikari; C. Glombitza; V. B. Heuer; K.-U. Hinrichs; K. L. Homola; F. Inagaki; B. B. Jørgensen; J. Kallmeyer; S. J. E. Krause; Y. Morono; J. Sauvage; A. J. Spivack; T. Treude

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-27802-7

Nature Communications (Jan 2022)

Rapid metabolism fosters microbial survival in the deep, hot subseafloor biosphere

F. Beulig,
F. Schubert,
R. R. Adhikari,
C. Glombitza,
V. B. Heuer,
K.-U. Hinrichs,
K. L. Homola,
F. Inagaki,
B. B. Jørgensen,
J. Kallmeyer,
S. J. E. Krause,
Y. Morono,
J. Sauvage,
A. J. Spivack,
T. Treude

Affiliations

F. Beulig: Center for Geomicrobiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University
F. Schubert: GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Section 3.7 Geomicrobiology, Telegrafenberg
R. R. Adhikari: MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen
C. Glombitza: Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich
V. B. Heuer: MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen
K.-U. Hinrichs: MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen
K. L. Homola: Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett Bay Campus
F. Inagaki: Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Nankoku
B. B. Jørgensen: Center for Geomicrobiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University
J. Kallmeyer: GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Section 3.7 Geomicrobiology, Telegrafenberg
S. J. E. Krause: Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California Los Angeles
Y. Morono: Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Nankoku
J. Sauvage: Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett Bay Campus
A. J. Spivack: Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett Bay Campus
T. Treude: Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California Los Angeles

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27802-7
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 13, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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In the deep sedimentary biosphere, 80 °C has been proposed as an upper thermal barrier for life. Using a suite of radiotracer experiments, this study reports active methanogenic and sulfate-reducing microbial populations with high cell-specific metabolic rates in deeply buried marine sediments from the Nankai Trough subduction zone, which reach temperatures up to 120 °C.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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