This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Vrionis, H. A.
Right arrow Articles by Lovley, D. R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Vrionis, H. A.
Right arrow Articles by Lovley, D. R.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Vrionis, H. A.
Right arrow Articles by Lovley, D. R.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2005, p. 6308-6318, Vol. 71, No. 10
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.10.6308-6318.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Microbiological and Geochemical Heterogeneity in an In Situ Uranium Bioremediation Field Site

Helen A. Vrionis,1* Robert T. Anderson,1 Irene Ortiz-Bernad,1 Kathleen R. O'Neill,1 Charles T. Resch,2 Aaron D. Peacock,3 Richard Dayvault,4 David C. White,3 Philip E. Long,2 and Derek R. Lovley1

Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003,1 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352,2 S. M. Stoller Corporation, Lafayette, Colorado 80026,4 Center for Biomarker Analysis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 379323

Received 15 March 2005/ Accepted 30 April 2005

The geochemistry and microbiology of a uranium-contaminated subsurface environment that had undergone two seasons of acetate addition to stimulate microbial U(VI) reduction was examined. There were distinct horizontal and vertical geochemical gradients that could be attributed in large part to the manner in which acetate was distributed in the aquifer, with more reduction of Fe(III) and sulfate occurring at greater depths and closer to the point of acetate injection. Clone libraries of 16S rRNA genes derived from sediments and groundwater indicated an enrichment of sulfate-reducing bacteria in the order Desulfobacterales in sediment and groundwater samples. These samples were collected nearest the injection gallery where microbially reducible Fe(III) oxides were highly depleted, groundwater sulfate concentrations were low, and increases in acid volatile sulfide were observed in the sediment. Further down-gradient, metal-reducing conditions were present as indicated by intermediate Fe(II)/Fe(total) ratios, lower acid volatile sulfide values, and increased abundance of 16S rRNA gene sequences belonging to the dissimilatory Fe(III)- and U(VI)-reducing family Geobacteraceae. Maximal Fe(III) and U(VI) reduction correlated with maximal recovery of Geobacteraceae 16S rRNA gene sequences in both groundwater and sediment; however, the sites at which these maxima occurred were spatially separated within the aquifer. The substantial microbial and geochemical heterogeneity at this site demonstrates that attempts should be made to deliver acetate in a more uniform manner and that closely spaced sampling intervals, horizontally and vertically, in both sediment and groundwater are necessary in order to obtain a more in-depth understanding of microbial processes and the relative contribution of attached and planktonic populations to in situ uranium bioremediation.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology, Morrill Science IVN, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003. Phone: (413) 577-0217. Fax: (413) 545-1578. E-mail: vrionis{at}microbio.umass.edu.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2005, p. 6308-6318, Vol. 71, No. 10
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.10.6308-6318.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Risso, C., Methe, B. A., Elifantz, H., Holmes, D. E., Lovley, D. R. (2008). Highly conserved genes in Geobacter species with expression patterns indicative of acetate limitation. Microbiology 154: 2589-2599 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Haveman, S. A., DiDonato, R. J. Jr., Villanueva, L., Shelobolina, E. S., Postier, B. L., Xu, B., Liu, A., Lovley, D. R. (2008). Genome-Wide Gene Expression Patterns and Growth Requirements Suggest that Pelobacter carbinolicus Reduces Fe(III) Indirectly via Sulfide Production. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 4277-4284 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Cardenas, E., Wu, W.-M., Leigh, M. B., Carley, J., Carroll, S., Gentry, T., Luo, J., Watson, D., Gu, B., Ginder-Vogel, M., Kitanidis, P. K., Jardine, P. M., Zhou, J., Criddle, C. S., Marsh, T. L., Tiedje, J. M. (2008). Microbial Communities in Contaminated Sediments, Associated with Bioremediation of Uranium to Submicromolar Levels. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 3718-3729 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Akob, D. M., Mills, H. J., Gihring, T. M., Kerkhof, L., Stucki, J. W., Anastacio, A. S., Chin, K.-J., Kusel, K., Palumbo, A. V., Watson, D. B., Kostka, J. E. (2008). Functional Diversity and Electron Donor Dependence of Microbial Populations Capable of U(VI) Reduction in Radionuclide-Contaminated Subsurface Sediments. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 3159-3170 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Holmes, D. E., Mester, T., O'Neil, R. A., Perpetua, L. A., Larrahondo, M. J., Glaven, R., Sharma, M. L., Ward, J. E., Nevin, K. P., Lovley, D. R. (2008). Genes for two multicopper proteins required for Fe(III) oxide reduction in Geobacter sulfurreducens have different expression patterns both in the subsurface and on energy-harvesting electrodes. Microbiology 154: 1422-1435 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Michalsen, M. M., Peacock, A. D., Spain, A. M., Smithgal, A. N., White, D. C., Sanchez-Rosario, Y., Krumholz, L. R., Istok, J. D. (2007). Changes in Microbial Community Composition and Geochemistry during Uranium and Technetium Bioimmobilization. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 5885-5896 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Spain, A. M., Peacock, A. D., Istok, J. D., Elshahed, M. S., Najar, F. Z., Roe, B. A., White, D. C., Krumholz, L. R. (2007). Identification and Isolation of a Castellaniella Species Important during Biostimulation of an Acidic Nitrate- and Uranium-Contaminated Aquifer. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 4892-4904 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Barns, S. M., Cain, E. C., Sommerville, L., Kuske, C. R. (2007). Acidobacteria Phylum Sequences in Uranium-Contaminated Subsurface Sediments Greatly Expand the Known Diversity within the Phylum. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 3113-3116 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • DiDonato, L. N., Sullivan, S. A., Methe, B. A., Nevin, K. P., England, R., Lovley, D. R. (2006). Role of RelGsu in Stress Response and Fe(III) Reduction in Geobacter sulfurreducens. J. Bacteriol. 188: 8469-8478 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Haveman, S. A., Holmes, D. E., Ding, Y.-H. R., Ward, J. E., DiDonato, R. J. Jr., Lovley, D. R. (2006). c-Type Cytochromes in Pelobacter carbinolicus. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 6980-6985 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chandler, D. P., Jarrell, A. E., Roden, E. R., Golova, J., Chernov, B., Schipma, M. J., Peacock, A. D., Long, P. E. (2006). Suspension Array Analysis of 16S rRNA from Fe- and SO42-Reducing Bacteria in Uranium-Contaminated Sediments Undergoing Bioremediation.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 4672-4687 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Abulencia, C. B., Wyborski, D. L., Garcia, J. A., Podar, M., Chen, W., Chang, S. H., Chang, H. W., Watson, D., Brodie, E. L., Hazen, T. C., Keller, M. (2006). Environmental whole-genome amplification to access microbial populations in contaminated sediments.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 3291-3301 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»