Diverse Marinimicrobia bacteria may mediate coupled biogeochemical cycles along eco-thermodynamic gradients

Alyse K. Hawley, Masaru K. Nobu, Jody J. Wright, W. Evan Durno, Connor Morgan-Lang, Brent Sage, Patrick Schwientek, Brandon K. Swan, Christian Rinke, Monica Torres-Beltrán, Keith Mewis, Wen-Tso Liu, Ramunas Stepanauskas, Tanja Woyke and Steven J. Hallam ()
Additional contact information
Alyse K. Hawley: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia
Masaru K. Nobu: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 205 North Mathews Avenue
Jody J. Wright: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia
W. Evan Durno: Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, University of British Columbia
Connor Morgan-Lang: Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, University of British Columbia
Brent Sage: Graduate Program in Bioinformatics, University of British Columbia
Patrick Schwientek: Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute
Brandon K. Swan: Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
Christian Rinke: Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, University of Queensland
Monica Torres-Beltrán: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia
Keith Mewis: Genome Science and Technology Graduate Program, University of British Columbia
Wen-Tso Liu: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 205 North Mathews Avenue
Ramunas Stepanauskas: Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
Tanja Woyke: Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute
Steven J. Hallam: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Microbial communities drive biogeochemical cycles through networks of metabolite exchange that are structured along energetic gradients. As energy yields become limiting, these networks favor co-metabolic interactions to maximize energy disequilibria. Here we apply single-cell genomics, metagenomics, and metatranscriptomics to study bacterial populations of the abundant “microbial dark matter” phylum Marinimicrobia along defined energy gradients. We show that evolutionary diversification of major Marinimicrobia clades appears to be closely related to energy yields, with increased co-metabolic interactions in more deeply branching clades. Several of these clades appear to participate in the biogeochemical cycling of sulfur and nitrogen, filling previously unassigned niches in the ocean. Notably, two Marinimicrobia clades, occupying different energetic niches, express nitrous oxide reductase, potentially acting as a global sink for the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01376-9

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