The uptake and excretion of partially oxidized sulfur expands the repertoire of energy resources metabolized by hydrothermal vent symbioses.

ABSTRACT: Symbiotic associations between animals and chemoautotrophic bacteria crowd around hydrothermal vents. In these associations, symbiotic bacteria use chemical reductants from venting fluid for the energy to support autotrophy, providing primary nutrition for the host. At vents along the Eastern Lau Spreading Center, the partially oxidized sulfur compounds (POSCs) thiosulfate and polysulfide have been detected in and around animal communities but away from venting fluid. The use of POSCs for autotrophy, as an alternative to the chemical substrates in venting fluid, could mitigate competition in these communities. To determine whether ESLC symbioses could use thiosulfate to support carbon fixation or produce POSCs during sulfide oxidation, we used high-pressure, flow-through incubations to ass

SUBMITTER: Beinart RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4426611 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature