Heterogeneity of rock-hosted microbial communities in a serpentinizing aquifer of the Coast Range Ophiolite
The movement of groundwater through fractured bedrock provides favorable conditions for subsurface microbial life, characterized by constrained flow pathways and distinctive local environmental conditions. In this study, we examined a subsurface microbial ecosystem associated with serpentinized rock...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1504241/full |
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| author | Katrina I. Twing Katrina I. Twing Katrina I. Twing William J. Brazelton Tom M. McCollom Florence Schubotz H. Lizethe Pendleton Rachel L. Harris Annemarie R. Brown Seth M. Richins Michael D. Y. Kubo Michael D. Y. Kubo Tori M. Hoehler Dawn Cardace Matthew O. Schrenk |
| author_facet | Katrina I. Twing Katrina I. Twing Katrina I. Twing William J. Brazelton Tom M. McCollom Florence Schubotz H. Lizethe Pendleton Rachel L. Harris Annemarie R. Brown Seth M. Richins Michael D. Y. Kubo Michael D. Y. Kubo Tori M. Hoehler Dawn Cardace Matthew O. Schrenk |
| author_sort | Katrina I. Twing |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The movement of groundwater through fractured bedrock provides favorable conditions for subsurface microbial life, characterized by constrained flow pathways and distinctive local environmental conditions. In this study, we examined a subsurface microbial ecosystem associated with serpentinized rocks recovered from the Coast Range Ophiolite in northern California, USA. The distribution and diversity of microbial communities at various depths within two separate cores reaching up to 45 m below the land surface were investigated with microbiological and geochemical approaches. Core samples contained low total organic carbon content, low DNA yields, and low copy numbers of 16S rRNA genes, yet some samples still yielded amplifiable DNA sequences. The microbial community composition of rock cores was distinct from groundwater, and source tracking of DNA sequences indicated that groundwater is not a significant source of DNA into basement rocks. In contrast, the microbial community of some rock core samples shared similarities with overlying soil samples, which could indicate potential contamination, weathering of shallow serpentinites, or a combination of both. Individual DNA sequences of archaea and bacteria predicted to be endemic to the basement rocks were identified by differential abundance analyses. Core-enriched sequences were distinct from those in groundwater or in the overlying soils and included OTUs related to Serpentinimonas as well as putatively anaerobic, deep subsurface-associated taxa such as methanogens and Bathyarchaeia. Stable isotope analyses of organic and inorganic carbon did not reveal a chemoautotrophic signal and were instead consistent with a primarily surface vegetation source of organic carbon into the basement. This census of archaeal and bacterial DNA sequences associated with altered ultramafic rocks provides a useful resource for further research into the potential for deep subsurface microbial activity fueled by geochemical reactions associated with serpentinization. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1cae4c9cf76545be8e6aaa6fe09e5729 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-1cae4c9cf76545be8e6aaa6fe09e57292025-08-20T03:05:39ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2025-03-011610.3389/fmicb.2025.15042411504241Heterogeneity of rock-hosted microbial communities in a serpentinizing aquifer of the Coast Range OphioliteKatrina I. Twing0Katrina I. Twing1Katrina I. Twing2William J. Brazelton3Tom M. McCollom4Florence Schubotz5H. Lizethe Pendleton6Rachel L. Harris7Annemarie R. Brown8Seth M. Richins9Michael D. Y. Kubo10Michael D. Y. Kubo11Tori M. Hoehler12Dawn Cardace13Matthew O. Schrenk14Department of Microbiology, Genetics, and Immunology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United StatesSchool of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United StatesDepartment of Microbiology, Weber State University, Ogden, UT, United StatesSchool of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United StatesLaboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United StatesMARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, GermanySchool of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United StatesDepartment of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United StatesDepartment of Microbiology, Weber State University, Ogden, UT, United StatesDepartment of Microbiology, Weber State University, Ogden, UT, United StatesSETI Institute, Mountain View, CA, United StatesExobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, United StatesExobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, United StatesDepartment of Geosciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United StatesDepartment of Microbiology, Genetics, and Immunology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United StatesThe movement of groundwater through fractured bedrock provides favorable conditions for subsurface microbial life, characterized by constrained flow pathways and distinctive local environmental conditions. In this study, we examined a subsurface microbial ecosystem associated with serpentinized rocks recovered from the Coast Range Ophiolite in northern California, USA. The distribution and diversity of microbial communities at various depths within two separate cores reaching up to 45 m below the land surface were investigated with microbiological and geochemical approaches. Core samples contained low total organic carbon content, low DNA yields, and low copy numbers of 16S rRNA genes, yet some samples still yielded amplifiable DNA sequences. The microbial community composition of rock cores was distinct from groundwater, and source tracking of DNA sequences indicated that groundwater is not a significant source of DNA into basement rocks. In contrast, the microbial community of some rock core samples shared similarities with overlying soil samples, which could indicate potential contamination, weathering of shallow serpentinites, or a combination of both. Individual DNA sequences of archaea and bacteria predicted to be endemic to the basement rocks were identified by differential abundance analyses. Core-enriched sequences were distinct from those in groundwater or in the overlying soils and included OTUs related to Serpentinimonas as well as putatively anaerobic, deep subsurface-associated taxa such as methanogens and Bathyarchaeia. Stable isotope analyses of organic and inorganic carbon did not reveal a chemoautotrophic signal and were instead consistent with a primarily surface vegetation source of organic carbon into the basement. This census of archaeal and bacterial DNA sequences associated with altered ultramafic rocks provides a useful resource for further research into the potential for deep subsurface microbial activity fueled by geochemical reactions associated with serpentinization.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1504241/full16S rRNAserpentinizationsubsurfacelow biomassrock hosted |
| spellingShingle | Katrina I. Twing Katrina I. Twing Katrina I. Twing William J. Brazelton Tom M. McCollom Florence Schubotz H. Lizethe Pendleton Rachel L. Harris Annemarie R. Brown Seth M. Richins Michael D. Y. Kubo Michael D. Y. Kubo Tori M. Hoehler Dawn Cardace Matthew O. Schrenk Heterogeneity of rock-hosted microbial communities in a serpentinizing aquifer of the Coast Range Ophiolite Frontiers in Microbiology 16S rRNA serpentinization subsurface low biomass rock hosted |
| title | Heterogeneity of rock-hosted microbial communities in a serpentinizing aquifer of the Coast Range Ophiolite |
| title_full | Heterogeneity of rock-hosted microbial communities in a serpentinizing aquifer of the Coast Range Ophiolite |
| title_fullStr | Heterogeneity of rock-hosted microbial communities in a serpentinizing aquifer of the Coast Range Ophiolite |
| title_full_unstemmed | Heterogeneity of rock-hosted microbial communities in a serpentinizing aquifer of the Coast Range Ophiolite |
| title_short | Heterogeneity of rock-hosted microbial communities in a serpentinizing aquifer of the Coast Range Ophiolite |
| title_sort | heterogeneity of rock hosted microbial communities in a serpentinizing aquifer of the coast range ophiolite |
| topic | 16S rRNA serpentinization subsurface low biomass rock hosted |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1504241/full |
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