A viable microbial community in a subglacial volcanic crater lake, Iceland

Astrobiology
Eric GaidosBrian Popp

Abstract

We describe a viable microbial community in a subglacial lake within the Grímsvötn volcanic caldera, Iceland. We used a hot water drill to penetrate the 300-m ice shelf and retrieved lake water and volcanic tephra sediments. We also acquired samples of borehole water before and after penetration to the lake, overlying glacial ice and snow, and water from a nearby subaerial geothermal lake for comparative analyses. Lake water is at the freezing point and fresh (total dissolved solids = 260 mg L(-1)). Detectable numbers of cells were found in samples of the lake water column and tephra sediments: 2 x 10(4) ml(-1) and 4 x 10(7) g(-1), respectively. Plate counts document abundant cold-adapted cultivable organisms in the lake water, but not in the borehole (before penetration) or glacial ice. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rRNA gene fragments amplified from genomic DNA extracted from Grímsvötn samples indicates that the lake community is distinct from the assemblages of organisms in borehole water (before penetration) and the overlying ice and snow. Sequencing of selected DGGE bands revealed that many sequences are highly similar to known psychrophilic organisms or cloned DNA from other cold environments. Sign...Continue Reading

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Citations

Aug 10, 2006·Microbial Ecology·Silva SonjakNina Gunde-Cimerman
Oct 21, 2009·Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology·Brent C Christner
Oct 31, 2006·Antonie van Leeuwenhoek·Lorena ButinarNina Gunde-Cimerman
Sep 15, 2012·The ISME Journal·Viggó Thór MarteinssonEric Gaidos
Dec 13, 2005·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·H C TungP B Price
Sep 23, 2008·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·Nancy N PerreaultLyle G Whyte
May 1, 2007·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·Jill A Mikucki, John C Priscu
Dec 17, 2015·Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences·John Parnell, Sean McMahon
Mar 13, 2009·Environmental Microbiology·Brian LanoilHermann Engelhardt
Sep 1, 2011·Astrobiology·Claire R Cousins, Ian A Crawford
Dec 17, 2015·Philosophical Transactions. Series A, Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences·J A MikuckiUNKNOWN WISSARD Science Team
Dec 29, 2019·Scientific Reports·L PeriniN Gunde-Cimerman
Sep 8, 2015·Nature Reviews. Microbiology·Antje BoetiusJosephine Z Rapp

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