A Study of the Microbial Spatial Heterogeneity of Bahamian Thrombolites Using Molecular, Biochemical, and Stable Isotope Analyses

Astrobiology
Artemis S LouyakisJamie S Foster

Abstract

Thrombolites are buildups of carbonate that exhibit a clotted internal structure formed through the interactions of microbial mats and their environment. Despite recent advances, we are only beginning to understand the microbial and molecular processes associated with their formation. In this study, a spatial profile of the microbial and metabolic diversity of thrombolite-forming mats of Highborne Cay, The Bahamas, was generated by using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and predictive metagenomic analyses. These molecular-based approaches were complemented with microelectrode profiling and in situ stable isotope analysis to examine the dominant taxa and metabolic activities within the thrombolite-forming communities. Analyses revealed three distinctive zones within the thrombolite-forming mats that exhibited stratified populations of bacteria and archaea. Predictive metagenomics also revealed vertical profiles of metabolic capabilities, such as photosynthesis and carboxylic and fatty acid synthesis within the mats that had not been previously observed. The carbonate precipitates within the thrombolite-forming mats exhibited isotopic geochemical signatures suggesting that the precipitation within the Bahamian thrombolites is photosynthe...Continue Reading

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Citations

May 24, 2019·Geobiology·John G WardenChristopher R Omelon
Sep 29, 2020·Environmental Microbiology·Miguel IniestoPurificación López-García

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Datasets Mentioned

BETA
SRP068710
PRJNA305634
4513715.3

Methods Mentioned

BETA
PCR
scanning electron microscopy

Software Mentioned

MetaCV
Krona
PICRUSt
Metagenome Composition Vector ( MetaCV
PyNAST
R
Principal Coordinates Analyses and Emperor
ggplot2
WiscSIMS
FastTree

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