Millimetre-Scale Stratification of Microbial Communities in Hydrothermal Sediments.

ABSTRACT: Resolving the spatial organisation of microbial populations in environments shaped by steep thermal and geochemical gradients remains a challenge in environmental biogeochemistry. Conventional molecular biomarker or gene-based approaches typically require large volumes of homogenised samples, limiting their ability to depict spatially structured microbial ecosystems, where critical microbial processes occur on millimetre scales. To overcome these limitations, we applied high-resolution mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) to an 11.5 cm long sediment section from the hydrothermal Cathedral Hill mat complex in the Guaymas Basin, known for its extreme temperatures and sharp geochemical gradients. The μm-scaled spatial resolution unveiled a nuanced lipidome zonation tightly compressed to a narrow 5

SUBMITTER: Groninga J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12766260 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature