Title
Filamentous “Epsilonproteobacteria” Dominate Microbial Mats from Sulfidic Cave Springs
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Publication Date
September 2003
Abstract
Hydrogen sulfide-rich groundwater discharges from springs into Lower Kane Cave, Wyoming, where microbial mats dominated by filamentous morphotypes are found. The full-cycle rRNA approach, including 16S rRNA gene retrieval and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), was used to identify these filaments. The majority of the obtained 16S rRNA gene clones from the mats were affiliated with the “Epsilonproteobacteria” and formed two distinct clusters, designated LKC group I and LKC group II, within this class. Group I was closely related to uncultured environmental clones from petroleum-contaminated groundwater, sulfidic springs, and sulfidic caves (97 to 99% sequence similarity), while group II formed a novel clade moderately related to deep-sea hydrothermal vent symbionts (90 to 94% sequence similarity). FISH with newly designed probes for both groups specifically stained filamentous bacteria within the mats. FISH-based quantification of the two filament groups in six different microbial mat samples from Lower Kane Cave showed that LKC group II dominated five of the six mat communities. This study further expands our perceptions of the diversity and geographic distribution of “Epsilonproteobacteria” in extreme environments and demonstrates their biogeochemical importance in subterranean ecosystems.
Keywords
Epsilonproteobacteria, Fresh Water Phylogeny, Sulfides, Water Microbiology
Type
Article
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology Journals
Identifier
SFS0072196_00001
Recommended Citation
Engel, Annette Summers; Lee, Natuschka; Porter, Megan L.; Stern, Libby A.; Bennett, Philip C.; and Wagner, Michael, "Filamentous “Epsilonproteobacteria” Dominate Microbial Mats from Sulfidic Cave Springs" (2003). KIP Articles. 2066.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/2066