HR: 1340h
AN: B13A-0215    [Abstracts]
TI: Investigating Microbial Habitats in Hydrothermal Chimneys using Ti-Thermocouple Arrays: Microbial Diversity
AU: * Pag\'{e}, A
EM: apage@pdx.edu
AF: Portland State University, Department of Biology, 1719 SW 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97201 United States
AU: Tivey, M K
EM: mktivey@whoi.edu
AF: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole, MA 02543 United States
AU: Stakes, D S
EM: debra@mbari.org
AF: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039 United States
AU: Bradley, A M
EM: abradley@whoi.edu
AF: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department, Woods Hole, MA 02543 United States
AU: Seewald, J S
EM: jseewald@whoi.edu
AF: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole, MA 02543 United States
AU: Wheat, C G
EM: wheat@mbari.org
AF: West Coast and Polar Regions Undersea Research Center, PO Box 475, Moss Landing, CA 95039 United States
AU: Reysenbach, A
EM: reysenbacha@pdx.edu
AF: Portland State University, Department of Biology, 1719 SW 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97201 United States
AB: In order to examine the changes that occur in the microbial community composition as a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney develops, we deployed Ti-thermocouple arrays over high temperature vents at two active sites of the Guaymas Basin Southern Trough. Chimney material that precipitated around the arrays was recovered after 4 and 72 days. Chimney material that precipitated prior to deployment of the arrays was also recovered at one of the sites (Busted Shroom). Culture-independent analysis based on the small subunit rRNA sequence (cloning and DGGE) was used to determine the microbial diversity associated with subsamples of each chimney. The original Busted Shroom chimney (BSO) was dominated by members of the {\it Crenarchaeota} Marine Group I, a group of cosmopolitan marine Archaea, $\epsilon$-{\it Proteobacteria}, and $\gamma$-{\it Proteobacteria}, two divisions of Bacteria that are common to deep-sea vents. The 4 days old Busted Shroom chimney (BSD1) was dominated by members of the {\it Methanocaldococcaceae}, hyperthermophilic methanogens, and the 72 days old chimney (BSD2) by members of the {\it Methanosarcinaceae}, mesophilic and thermophilic methanogens. At the second site, Toadstool, the 72 days old chimney material that had precipitated around the array (TS) revealed the dominance of sequences from uncultured marine Archaea, the DHVE group I and II, and from the $\epsilon$-{\it Proteobacteria}. Additionally, sequences belonging to the {\it Methanocaldococcaceae} and {\it Desulfurococcaceae} were recovered next to thermocouples that were at temperatures of 109$\deg$C (at Busted Shroom) and 116$\deg$C (at Toadstool), respectively. These temperatures are higher than the upper limit for growth of cultured representatives from each family.
DE: 4832 Hydrothermal systems
DE: 4840 Microbiology
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting