Skip to main content
PMC home page
Applied and Environmental Microbiology logoLink to Applied and Environmental Microbiology
. 1995 May;61(5):1931–1937. doi: 10.1128/aem.61.5.1931-1937.1995

Dense Community of Hyperthermophilic Sulfur-Dependent Heterotrophs in a Geothermally Heated Shallow Submarine Biotope near Kodakara-Jima Island, Kagoshima, Japan

T Hoaki, M Nishijima, H Miyashita, T Maruyama
PMCID: PMC1388447  PMID: 16535029

Abstract

Microbial communities in marine hydrothermal sediments (0 to 30 cm deep) in an inlet of Kodakara-Jima Island, Kagoshima, Japan, were studied with reference to environmental factors, especially the presence of amino acids. The study area was shallow, and the sea floor was covered with sand through which hot volcanic gas bubbled and geothermally heated water seeped out. The total bacterial density increased with depth in the sediments in parallel with a rise in the ambient temperature (80(deg)C at the surface and 104(deg)C at a depth of 30 cm in the sediments). As estimated by most-probable-number studies, hyperthermophilic sulfur-dependent heterotrophs growing at 90(deg)C dominated the microbial community (3 x 10(sup7) cells (middot) g of sediment(sup-1) at a depth of 30 cm in the sediments), followed in abundance by hyperthermophilic sulfur-dependent facultative autotrophs (3.3 x 10(sup2) cells (middot) g of sediment(sup-1)). The cooler sandy or rocky floor surrounding the hot spots was covered with white bacterial mats which consisted of large Beggiatoa-like filaments. Both the total organic carbon content, most of which was particulate (75% in the surface sediments), and the amino acid concentration in void seawater in the sediments decreased with depth. Amino acids, both hydrolyzable and free, constituted approximately 23% of the dissolved organic carbon in the surface sediments. These results indicate that a lower amino acid concentration is probably due to consumption by dense populations of hyperthermophilic sulfur-dependent heterotrophs, which require amino acids for their growth and thus create a gradient of amino acid concentration in the sediments. The role of primary producers, which supply essential amino acids to sustain this microbial community, is also discussed.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (451.8 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Balch W. E., Fox G. E., Magrum L. J., Woese C. R., Wolfe R. S. Methanogens: reevaluation of a unique biological group. Microbiol Rev. 1979 Jun;43(2):260–296. doi: 10.1128/mr.43.2.260-296.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Balch W. E., Wolfe R. S. New approach to the cultivation of methanogenic bacteria: 2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid (HS-CoM)-dependent growth of Methanobacterium ruminantium in a pressureized atmosphere. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1976 Dec;32(6):781–791. doi: 10.1128/aem.32.6.781-791.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Barns S. M., Fundyga R. E., Jeffries M. W., Pace N. R. Remarkable archaeal diversity detected in a Yellowstone National Park hot spring environment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1994 Mar 1;91(5):1609–1613. doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.5.1609. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. HUNGATE R. E. The anaerobic mesophilic cellulolytic bacteria. Bacteriol Rev. 1950 Mar;14(1):1–49. doi: 10.1128/br.14.1.1-49.1950. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hoaki T., Nishijima M., Kato M., Adachi K., Mizobuchi S., Hanzawa N., Maruyama T. Growth requirements of hyperthermophilic sulfur-dependent heterotrophic archaea isolated from a shallow submarine geothermal system with reference to their essential amino acids. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1994 Aug;60(8):2898–2904. doi: 10.1128/aem.60.8.2898-2904.1994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hoaki T., Wirsen C. O., Hanzawa S., Maruyama T., Jannasch H. W. Amino Acid Requirements of Two Hyperthermophilic Archaeal Isolates from Deep-Sea Vents, Desulfurococcus Strain SY and Pyrococcus Strain GB-D. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1993 Feb;59(2):610–613. doi: 10.1128/aem.59.2.610-613.1993. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hobbie J. E., Daley R. J., Jasper S. Use of nuclepore filters for counting bacteria by fluorescence microscopy. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1977 May;33(5):1225–1228. doi: 10.1128/aem.33.5.1225-1228.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Jannasch H. W., Mottl M. J. Geomicrobiology of deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Science. 1985 Aug 23;229(4715):717–725. doi: 10.1126/science.229.4715.717. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Jannasch H. W., Wirsen C. O., Molyneaux S. J., Langworthy T. A. Comparative Physiological Studies on Hyperthermophilic Archaea Isolated from Deep-Sea Hot Vents with Emphasis on Pyrococcus Strain GB-D. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1992 Nov;58(11):3472–3481. doi: 10.1128/aem.58.11.3472-3481.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Jannasch H. W., Wirsen C. O., Molyneaux S. J., Langworthy T. A. Extremely thermophilic fermentative archaebacteria of the genus desulfurococcus from deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1988 May;54(5):1203–1209. doi: 10.1128/aem.54.5.1203-1209.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Morikawa M., Izawa Y., Rashid N., Hoaki T., Imanaka T. Purification and characterization of a thermostable thiol protease from a newly isolated hyperthermophilic Pyrococcus sp. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1994 Dec;60(12):4559–4566. doi: 10.1128/aem.60.12.4559-4566.1994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Nelson D. C., Wirsen C. O., Jannasch H. W. Characterization of Large, Autotrophic Beggiatoa spp. Abundant at Hydrothermal Vents of the Guaymas Basin. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1989 Nov;55(11):2909–2917. doi: 10.1128/aem.55.11.2909-2917.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Robrish S. A., Kemp C., Bowen W. H. The use of the o-phthalaldehyde reaction as a sensitive assay for protein and to determine protein in bacterial cells and dental plaque. Anal Biochem. 1978 Jan;84(1):196–204. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(78)90500-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Sakai H., Gamo T., Kim E. S., Tsutsumi M., Tanaka T., Ishibashi J., Wakita H., Yamano M., Oomori T. Venting of carbon dioxide-rich fluid and hydrate formation in mid-okinawa trough backarc basin. Science. 1990 Jun 1;248(4959):1093–1096. doi: 10.1126/science.248.4959.1093. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Voss T., Melchers K., Scheirle G., Schäfer K. P. Structural comparison of recombinant pulmonary surfactant protein SP-A derived from two human coding sequences: implications for the chain composition of natural human SP-A. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 1991 Jan;4(1):88–94. doi: 10.1165/ajrcmb/4.1.88. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Woese C. R., Kandler O., Wheelis M. L. Towards a natural system of organisms: proposal for the domains Archaea, Bacteria, and Eucarya. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Jun;87(12):4576–4579. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.12.4576. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Zillig W., Holz I., Janekovic D., Klenk H. P., Imsel E., Trent J., Wunderl S., Forjaz V. H., Coutinho R., Ferreira T. Hyperthermus butylicus, a hyperthermophilic sulfur-reducing archaebacterium that ferments peptides. J Bacteriol. 1990 Jul;172(7):3959–3965. doi: 10.1128/jb.172.7.3959-3965.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Applied and Environmental Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES