Microbial essentials at hydrothermal vents

• Published in: Nature (London) Vol. 404; no. 6780; pp. 835 - 836
• Main Authors: REYSENBACH, A.-L, BANTA, A. B, BOONE, D. R, CARY, S. C, LUTHER, G. W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing 20.04.2000
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Atlantic Ocean; Atlantic Ocean, Mid-Atlantic Ridge; Bacteria - classification; Bacteria - genetics; Bacteria - isolation & purification; Biological and medical sciences; Eubacteria; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Marine; Microbial ecology; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; RNA, Bacterial - genetics; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; rRNA 16S gene; Various environments (extraatmospheric space, air, water); Water Microbiology; Atlantic Ocean; ANE, Mid-Atlantic Ridge; Marine environment; Hydrothermal vent; Biogeochemistry; Submarine springs; Bacteria; Microflora; Microorganism; Microaerophily
• ISSN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/35009029

Hot, anoxic fluids emerging from deep-sea hydrothermal vents mix suddenly with cold oxygenated sea water, providing ideal microbial niches for organisms that need limited amounts of oxygen. We have now identified and grown the first microaerophilic, thermophilic eubacterium from a deep-sea hydrothermal chimney. In view of the likely abundance of this type of microenvironment in hydrothermal structures, these newly discovered thermophilic microbes could constitute a large part of the microbial populations in seafloor hydrothermal systems. In 1995, using the submersible DSV Nautile, we deployed an in situ growth chamber on the top of a hydrothermal vent at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Snake Pit, 23 degree 22' N, 44 degree 57' W). After deployment for 5 days (with an in situ chamber temperature between 70 and 25 degree C), we extracted DNA from samples collected from the chamber. We amplified the genes encoding small-subunit ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA genes) by using the polymerase chain reaction, then cloned and screened them by restriction-fragment length-polymorphism analysis.