Microbial essentials at hydrothermal vents
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 hydrother...
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Published in | Nature (London) Vol. 404; no. 6780; pp. 835 - 836 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
London
Nature Publishing
20.04.2000
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | 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. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-2 ObjectType-Feature-1 |
ISSN: | 0028-0836 1476-4687 |
DOI: | 10.1038/35009029 |