Previous Article | Next Article 
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2004, p. 6264-6271, Vol. 70, No. 10
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.10.6264-6271.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Metabolically Active Eukaryotic Communities in Extremely Acidic Mine Drainage
Brett J. Baker,1* Michelle A. Lutz,2 Scott C. Dawson,3 Philip L. Bond,2 and Jillian F. Banfield1,4
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences,1
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology,3
Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California,4
Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin2
Received 26 January 2004/
Accepted 17 June 2004
Acid mine drainage (AMD) microbial communities contain microbial eukaryotes (both fungi and protists) that confer a biofilm structure and impact the abundance of bacteria and archaea and the community composition via grazing and other mechanisms. Since prokaryotes impact iron oxidation rates and thus regulate AMD generation rates, it is important to analyze the fungal and protistan populations. We utilized 18S rRNA and beta-tubulin gene phylogenies and fluorescent rRNA-specific probes to characterize the eukaryotic diversity and distribution in extremely acidic (pHs 0.8 to 1.38), warm (30 to 50°C), metal-rich (up to 269 mM Fe2+, 16.8 mM Zn, 8.5 mM As, and 4.1 mM Cu) AMD solutions from the Richmond Mine at Iron Mountain, Calif. A Rhodophyta (red algae) lineage and organisms from the Vahlkampfiidae family were identified. The fungal 18S rRNA and tubulin gene sequences formed two distinct phylogenetic groups associated with the classes Dothideomycetes and Eurotiomycetes. Three fungal isolates that were closely related to the Dothideomycetes clones were obtained. We suggest the name "Acidomyces richmondensis" for these isolates. Since these ascomycete fungi were morphologically indistinguishable, rRNA-specific oligonucleotide probes were designed to target the Dothideomycetes and Eurotiomycetes via fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). FISH analyses indicated that Eurotiomycetes are generally more abundant than Dothideomycetes in all of the seven locations studied within the Richmond Mine system. This is the first study to combine the culture-independent detection of fungi with in situ detection and a demonstration of activity in an acidic environment. The results expand our understanding of the subsurface AMD microbial community structure.
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: 40 Hilgard Hall, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720. Phone: (510) 642-9690. Fax: (510) 643-9980. E-mail:
bbaker{at}eps.berkeley.edu.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2004, p. 6264-6271, Vol. 70, No. 10
0099-2240/04/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/AEM.70.10.6264-6271.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
Goltsman, D. S. A., Denef, V. J., Singer, S. W., VerBerkmoes, N. C., Lefsrud, M., Mueller, R. S., Dick, G. J., Sun, C. L., Wheeler, K. E., Zemla, A., Baker, B. J., Hauser, L., Land, M., Shah, M. B., Thelen, M. P., Hettich, R. L., Banfield, J. F.
(2009). Community Genomic and Proteomic Analyses of Chemoautotrophic Iron-Oxidizing "Leptospirillum rubarum" (Group II) and "Leptospirillum ferrodiazotrophum" (Group III) Bacteria in Acid Mine Drainage Biofilms. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
75: 4599-4615
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Baker, B. J., Tyson, G. W., Goosherst, L., Banfield, J. F.
(2009). Insights into the Diversity of Eukaryotes in Acid Mine Drainage Biofilm Communities. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
75: 2192-2199
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Baschien, C., Manz, W., Neu, T. R., Marvanova, L., Szewzyk, U.
(2008). In Situ Detection of Freshwater Fungi in an Alpine Stream by New Taxon-Specific Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization Probes. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
74: 6427-6436
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Kock, D., Schippers, A.
(2008). Quantitative Microbial Community Analysis of Three Different Sulfidic Mine Tailing Dumps Generating Acid Mine Drainage. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
74: 5211-5219
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Selbmann, L., de Hoog, G.S., Zucconi, L., Isola, D., Ruisi, S., van den Ende, A.H.G. G., Ruibal, C., De Leo, F., Urzi, C., Onofri, S.
(2008). Drought meets acid: three new genera in a dothidealean clade of extremotolerant fungi.. SIM
61: 1-20
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Aguilera, A., Manrubia, S. C., Gomez, F., Rodriguez, N., Amils, R.
(2006). Eukaryotic Community Distribution and Its Relationship to Water Physicochemical Parameters in an Extreme Acidic Environment, Rio Tinto (Southwestern Spain). Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
72: 5325-5330
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Nicomrat, D., Dick, W. A., Tuovinen, O. H.
(2006). Microbial populations identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization in a constructed wetland treating Acid coal mine drainage.. J. Environ. Qual.
35: 1329-1337
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Yilmaz, L. S., Okten, H. E., Noguera, D. R.
(2006). Making All Parts of the 16S rRNA of Escherichia coli Accessible In Situ to Single DNA Oligonucleotides. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
72: 733-744
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
-
Nelson, K. E., Methe, B.
(2005). Metabolism and Genomics: Adventures Derived From Complete Genome Sequencing. Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry
59: 279-294
[Full Text]