Carbon isotopic compositions and concentrations of major fatty acids in the Beggiatoa covered sediment core at the crest of southern Hydrate Ridge

DOI

Membrane fatty acids were extracted from a sediment core above marine gas hydrates at Hydrate Ridge, NE Pacific. Anaerobic sediments from this environment are characterized by high sulfate reduction rates driven by the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). The assimilation of methane carbon into bacterial biomass is indicated by carbon isotope values of specific fatty acids as low as -103 per mill. Specific fatty acids released from bacterial membranes include C 16:1 omega 5c , C 17:1 omega 6c , and cyC 17:0 omega 5,6 , all of which have been fully characterized by mass spectrometry. These unusual fatty acids continuously display the lowest d13 C values in all sediment horizons and two of them are detected in high abundance (i.e., C 16:1 omega 5c and cyC 17:0 omega 5,6 ). Combined with microscopic examination by fluorescence in situ hybridization specifically targeting sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) of the Desulfosarcina/Desulfococcus group, which are present in the aggregates of AOM consortia in extremely high numbers, these specific fatty acids appear to provide a phenotypic fingerprint indicative for SRB of this group. Correlating depth profiles of specific fatty acid content and aggregate number in combination with pore water sulfate data provide further evidence of this finding. Using mass balance calculations we present a cell-specific fatty acid pattern most likely displaying a very close resemblance to the still uncultured Desulfosarcina/Desulfococcus species involved in AOM.

Supplement to: Elvert, Marcus; Boetius, Antje; Knittel, Katrin; Jørgensen, Bo Barker (2003): Characterization of specific membrane fatty acids as chemotaxonomic markers for sulfate-reducing bacteria involved in anaerobic oxidation of methane. Geomicrobiology Journal, 20(4), 403-419

Identifier
DOI https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.728116
Related Identifier https://doi.org/10.1080/01490450303894
Metadata Access https://ws.pangaea.de/oai/provider?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=datacite4&identifier=oai:pangaea.de:doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.728116
Provenance
Creator Elvert, Marcus ORCID logo; Boetius, Antje ORCID logo; Knittel, Katrin ORCID logo; Jørgensen, Bo Barker ORCID logo
Publisher PANGAEA
Publication Year 2003
Rights Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
OpenAccess true
Representation
Language English
Resource Type Supplementary Publication Series of Datasets; Collection
Format application/zip
Size 2 datasets
Discipline Earth System Research
Spatial Coverage (-125.147W, 44.568S, -125.147E, 44.570N)
Temporal Coverage Begin 2000-07-27T04:40:00Z
Temporal Coverage End 2000-07-27T07:02:00Z