Physiology, Metabolism, and Fossilization of Hot-Spring Filamentous Microbial Mats
- Dong, Yiran [ Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA. School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China. ]
- Sanford, Robert A. [ Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA. Department of Geology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA. ]
- Inskeep, William P. [ Montana State University: Land Resources & Environmental Sciences ] [ Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University ]
- Srivastava, Vaibhav [ Division of Glycoscience, School of Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden ]
- Bulone, Vincent [ Division of Glycoscience, School of Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden. Division School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia. ]
- Fields, Christopher J. [ Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA ]
- Yau, Peter M. [ Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA ]
- Sivaguru, Mayandi [ Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA. Carl Zeiss Labs @ Location Partner, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA ]
- Ahren, Dag [ Microbial Ecology Group, Bioinformatics Infrastructure for Life Sciences, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Pufendorf Institute for Advanced Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. ]
- Fouke, Kyle W. [ Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA. Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, USA. ]
- Weber, Joseph [ Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA. ]
- Werth, Charles R. [ Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA. Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas Austin, Texas, USA. ]
- Cann, Isaac K. [ Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA. Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas Austin, Texas, USA. ]
- Keating, Kathleen M. [ Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA ]
- Khetani, Radhika S. [ Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA ]
- Hernandez, Alvaro G. [ Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA ]
- Wright, Chris [ Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA ]
- Band, Mark [ Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA ]
- Imai, Brian S. [ Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA ]
- Fried, Glenn A. [ Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA. Carl Zeiss Labs @ Location Partner, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA ]
- Fouke, Bruce W. [ Montana State University: Thermal Biology Institute ]
The evolutionarily ancient Aquificales bacterium Sulfurihydrogenibium spp. dominates filamentous microbial mat communities in shallow, fast-flowing, and dysoxic hot-spring drainage systems around the world. In the present study, field observations of these fettuccini-like microbial mats at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park are integrated with geology, geochemistry, hydrology, microscopy, and multi-omic molecular biology analyses. Strategic sampling of living filamentous mats along with the hot-spring CaCO3 (travertine) in which they are actively being entombed and fossilized has permitted the first direct linkage of Sulfurihydrogenibium spp. physiology and metabolism with the formation of distinct travertine streamer microbial biomarkers. Results indicate that, during chemoautotrophy and CO2 carbon fixation, the 87-98% Sulfurihydrogenibium-dominated mats utilize chaperons to facilitate enzyme stability and function. High-abundance transcripts and proteins for type IV pili and extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) are consistent with their strong mucus-rich filaments tens of centimeters long that withstand hydrodynamic shear as they become encrusted by more than 5mm of travertine per day. Their primary energy source is the oxidation of reduced sulfur (e.g., sulfide, sulfur, or thiosulfate) and the simultaneous uptake of extremely low concentrations of dissolved O2 facilitated by bd-type cytochromes. The formation of elevated travertine ridges permits the Sulfurihydrogenibium-dominated mats to create a shallow platform from which to access low levels of dissolved oxygen at the virtual exclusion of other microorganisms. These ridged travertine streamer microbial biomarkers are well preserved and create a robust fossil record of microbial physiological and metabolic activities in modern and ancient hot-spring ecosystems.