Insights into environmental controls on microbial communities in a continental serpentinite aquifer using a microcosm-based approach.

ABSTRACT: Geochemical reactions associated with serpentinization alter the composition of dissolved organic compounds in circulating fluids and potentially liberate mantle-derived carbon and reducing power to support subsurface microbial communities. Previous studies have identified Betaproteobacteria from the order Burkholderiales and bacteria from the order Clostridiales as key components of the serpentinite-hosted microbiome, however there is limited knowledge of their metabolic capabilities or growth characteristics. In an effort to better characterize microbial communities, their metabolism, and factors limiting their activities, microcosm experiments were designed with fluids collected from several monitoring wells at the Coast Range Ophiolite Microbial Observatory (CROMO) in northern Californ

SUBMITTER: Crespo-Medina M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4231944 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature