Stable isotope probing of hyperthermophilic filamentous microbial communities in Octopus Spring, Yellowstone National Park

Stabe isotope probe (SIP) incubation studies were performed using ¹³C-labeled carbon substrates on hyperthermophilic filamentous streamer communities inhabiting Octopus Spring in Yellowstone National Park. Biomass was removed from the outflow stream and incubated at near-in situ conditions with labeled bicarbonate, formate, or acetate. Lipids from the biomass were extracted and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-isotope ratio monitoring-mass spectroscopy(GC-IRMS). We observed incorporation of ¹³C-labeled acetate into the total biomass, archaeal lipids, and a small number of bacterial lipids, but no incorporation of labeled formate or bicarbonate. During 67 hours of incubation, 0.060 [mu]g of labeled acetate was incorporated by the archaeal and bacterial community. The lack of acetate incorporation by most bacteria, or formate and bicarbonate incorporation by any community member may reflect rates of carbon turnover, the carbon acquisition pathway used, or inhibition under experimental conditions,

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• Dibbell, Augusta K

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Roger Summons.

• Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/114330

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/114330