Anaerobic Degradation of Non-Methane Alkanes by "Candidatus Methanoliparia" in Hydrocarbon Seeps of the Gulf of Mexico.

ABSTRACT: Crude oil and gases in the seabed provide an important energy source for subsurface microorganisms. We investigated the role of archaea in the anaerobic degradation of non-methane alkanes in deep-sea oil seeps from the Gulf of Mexico. We identified microscopically the ethane and short-chain alkane oxidizers "Candidatus Argoarchaeum" and "Candidatus Syntrophoarchaeum" forming consortia with bacteria. Moreover, we found that the sediments contain large numbers of cells from the archaeal clade "Candidatus Methanoliparia," which was previously proposed to perform methanogenic alkane degradation. "Ca. Methanoliparia" occurred abundantly as single cells attached to oil droplets in sediments without apparent bacterial or archaeal partners. Metagenome-assembled genomes

SUBMITTER: Laso-Perez R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6703427 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature