Thermogenic hydrocarbon biodegradation by diverse depth-stratified microbial populations at a Scotian Basin cold seep.

ABSTRACT: At marine cold seeps, gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons migrate from deep subsurface origins to the sediment-water interface. Cold seep sediments are known to host taxonomically diverse microorganisms, but little is known about their metabolic potential and depth distribution in relation to hydrocarbon and electron acceptor availability. Here we combined geophysical, geochemical, metagenomic and metabolomic measurements to profile microbial activities at a newly discovered cold seep in the deep sea. Metagenomic profiling revealed compositional and functional differentiation between near-surface sediments and deeper subsurface layers. In both sulfate-rich and sulfate-depleted depths, various archaeal and bacterial community members are actively oxidizing thermogenic hydrocarbons anaerobically

SUBMITTER: Dong X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7673041 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature