Diversity and Metabolic Potentials of Subsurface Crustal Microorganisms from the Western Flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

ABSTRACT: Deep-sea oceanic crust constitutes the largest region of the earth's surface. Accumulating evidence suggests that unique microbial communities are supported by iron cycling processes, particularly in the young (<10 million-year old), cool (<25°C) subsurface oceanic crust. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the microbial abundance, diversity, and metabolic potentials in the sediment-buried crust from "North Pond" on western flank of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Three lithologic units along basement Hole U1383C were found, which typically hosted ∼10(4) cells cm(-3) of basaltic rock, with higher cell densities occurring between 115 and 145 m below seafloor. Similar bacterial community structures, which are dominated by Gammaproteobacterial and Sphingobacterial species closely related to iron

SUBMITTER: Zhang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4797314 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature