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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2007, p. 2612-2623, Vol. 73, No. 8
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02567-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Effects of Abiotic Factors on the Phylogenetic Diversity of Bacterial Communities in Acidic Thermal Springs{triangledown}

Jayanti Mathur,1 Richard W. Bizzoco,1 Dean G. Ellis,1 David A. Lipson,1 Alexander W. Poole,1 Richard Levine,2 and Scott T. Kelley1*

Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California 92182-4614,1 Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, San Diego, California 92182-77202

Received 3 November 2006/ Accepted 4 January 2007

Acidic thermal springs offer ideal environments for studying processes underlying extremophile microbial diversity. We used a carefully designed comparative analysis of acidic thermal springs in Yellowstone National Park to determine how abiotic factors (chemistry and temperature) shape acidophile microbial communities. Small-subunit rRNA gene sequences were PCR amplified, cloned, and sequenced, by using evolutionarily conserved bacterium-specific primers, directly from environmental DNA extracted from Amphitheater Springs and Roaring Mountain sediment samples. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and colorimetric assays were used to analyze sediment chemistry, while an optical emission spectrometer was used to evaluate water chemistry and electronic probes were used to measure the pH, temperature, and Eh of the spring waters. Phylogenetic-statistical analyses found exceptionally strong correlations between bacterial community composition and sediment mineral chemistry, followed by weaker but significant correlations with temperature gradients. For example, sulfur-rich sediment samples contained a high diversity of uncultured organisms related to Hydrogenobaculum spp., while iron-rich sediments were dominated by uncultured organisms related to a diverse array of gram-positive iron oxidizers. A detailed analysis of redox chemistry indicated that the available energy sources and electron acceptors were sufficient to support the metabolic potential of Hydrogenobaculum spp. and iron oxidizers, respectively. Principal-component analysis found that two factors explained 95% of the genetic diversity, with most of the variance attributable to mineral chemistry and a smaller fraction attributable to temperature.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr., San Diego, CA 92182-4614. Phone: (619) 594-5371. Fax: (619) 594-5676. E-mail: skelley{at}sciences.sdsu.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 12 January 2007.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, April 2007, p. 2612-2623, Vol. 73, No. 8
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.02567-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Boyd, E. S., Leavitt, W. D., Geesey, G. G. (2009). CO2 Uptake and Fixation by a Thermoacidophilic Microbial Community Attached to Precipitated Sulfur in a Geothermal Spring. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 4289-4296 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lozupone, C. A., Hamady, M., Kelley, S. T., Knight, R. (2007). Quantitative and Qualitative {beta} Diversity Measures Lead to Different Insights into Factors That Structure Microbial Communities. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 1576-1585 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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