Thaumarchaeota from deep-sea methane seeps provide novel insights into their evolutionary history and ecological implications.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota mediate the rate-limiting step of nitrification and remove the ammonia that inhibits the aerobic metabolism of methanotrophs. However, the AOA that inhabit deep-sea methane-seep surface sediments (DMS) are rarely studied. Here, we used global DMS metagenomics and metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) to investigate the metabolic activity, evolutionary history, and ecological contributions of AOA. Expression of AOA-specific ammonia-oxidizing gene (amoA) was examined in the sediments collected from the South China Sea (SCS) to identify their active ammonia metabolism in the DMS.

Results

Our analysis indicated that AOA contribute > 75% to the composition of ammonia-utilization genes within the surface layers

SUBMITTER: Li Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11463064 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature