Diversity and functionality of archaeal, bacterial and fungal communities in deep Archaean bedrock groundwater

Lotta Purkamo (Corresponding Author), Riikka Kietäväinen, Hanna Miettinen, Elina Sohlberg, Ilmo Kukkonen, Merja Itävaara, Malin Bomberg

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The diversity and metabolic functions of deep subsurface ecosystems remain relatively unexplored. Microbial communities in previously studied deep subsurface sites of the Fennoscandian Shield are distinctive to each site. Thus, we hypothesized that the microbial communities of the deep Archaean bedrock fracture aquifer in Romuvaara, northern Finland, differ both in community composition and metabolic functionality from the other sites in the Fennoscandian Shield. We characterized the composition, functionality and substrate preferences of the microbial communities at different depths in a 600 m deep borehole. In contrast to other Fennoscandian deep biosphere communities studied to date, iron-oxidizing Gallionella dominated the bacterial communities, while methanogenic and ammonia-oxidizing archaea were the most prominent archaea, and a diverse fungal community was also detected. Potential for methane cycling and sulfate and nitrate reduction was confirmed by detection of the functional genes of these metabolic pathways. Organotrophs were less abundant, although carbohydrates were the most preferred of the tested substrates. The microbial communities shared features with those detected from other deep groundwaters with similar geochemistry, but the majority of taxa distinctive to Romuvaara are different from the taxa previously detected in saline deep groundwater in the Fennoscandian Shield, most likely because of the differences in water chemistry.
Original languageEnglish
Article numberfiy116
JournalFEMS Microbiology Ecology
Volume94
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2018
MoE publication typeNot Eligible

Fingerprint

Groundwater
microbial community
Archean
bedrock
Archaea
shield
Gallionellaceae
groundwater
Methane
Finland
substrate preference
Metabolic Networks and Pathways
Ammonia
Nitrates
Sulfates
Ecosystem
Iron
Carbohydrates
water chemistry
biosphere

Keywords

  • deep continental biosphere
  • Fennoscandian Shield
  • microbial diversity
  • functional genes
  • qPCR

Cite this

Purkamo, Lotta ; Kietäväinen, Riikka ; Miettinen, Hanna ; Sohlberg, Elina ; Kukkonen, Ilmo ; Itävaara, Merja ; Bomberg, Malin. / Diversity and functionality of archaeal, bacterial and fungal communities in deep Archaean bedrock groundwater. In: FEMS Microbiology Ecology. 2018 ; Vol. 94, No. 8.
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abstract = "The diversity and metabolic functions of deep subsurface ecosystems remain relatively unexplored. Microbial communities in previously studied deep subsurface sites of the Fennoscandian Shield are distinctive to each site. Thus, we hypothesized that the microbial communities of the deep Archaean bedrock fracture aquifer in Romuvaara, northern Finland, differ both in community composition and metabolic functionality from the other sites in the Fennoscandian Shield. We characterized the composition, functionality and substrate preferences of the microbial communities at different depths in a 600 m deep borehole. In contrast to other Fennoscandian deep biosphere communities studied to date, iron-oxidizing Gallionella dominated the bacterial communities, while methanogenic and ammonia-oxidizing archaea were the most prominent archaea, and a diverse fungal community was also detected. Potential for methane cycling and sulfate and nitrate reduction was confirmed by detection of the functional genes of these metabolic pathways. Organotrophs were less abundant, although carbohydrates were the most preferred of the tested substrates. The microbial communities shared features with those detected from other deep groundwaters with similar geochemistry, but the majority of taxa distinctive to Romuvaara are different from the taxa previously detected in saline deep groundwater in the Fennoscandian Shield, most likely because of the differences in water chemistry.",
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Purkamo, L, Kietäväinen, R, Miettinen, H, Sohlberg, E, Kukkonen, I, Itävaara, M & Bomberg, M 2018, 'Diversity and functionality of archaeal, bacterial and fungal communities in deep Archaean bedrock groundwater', FEMS Microbiology Ecology, vol. 94, no. 8, fiy116. https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiy116

Diversity and functionality of archaeal, bacterial and fungal communities in deep Archaean bedrock groundwater. / Purkamo, Lotta (Corresponding Author); Kietäväinen, Riikka; Miettinen, Hanna; Sohlberg, Elina; Kukkonen, Ilmo; Itävaara, Merja; Bomberg, Malin.

In: FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Vol. 94, No. 8, fiy116, 06.2018.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

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AU - Miettinen, Hanna

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AU - Kukkonen, Ilmo

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AU - Bomberg, Malin

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AB - The diversity and metabolic functions of deep subsurface ecosystems remain relatively unexplored. Microbial communities in previously studied deep subsurface sites of the Fennoscandian Shield are distinctive to each site. Thus, we hypothesized that the microbial communities of the deep Archaean bedrock fracture aquifer in Romuvaara, northern Finland, differ both in community composition and metabolic functionality from the other sites in the Fennoscandian Shield. We characterized the composition, functionality and substrate preferences of the microbial communities at different depths in a 600 m deep borehole. In contrast to other Fennoscandian deep biosphere communities studied to date, iron-oxidizing Gallionella dominated the bacterial communities, while methanogenic and ammonia-oxidizing archaea were the most prominent archaea, and a diverse fungal community was also detected. Potential for methane cycling and sulfate and nitrate reduction was confirmed by detection of the functional genes of these metabolic pathways. Organotrophs were less abundant, although carbohydrates were the most preferred of the tested substrates. The microbial communities shared features with those detected from other deep groundwaters with similar geochemistry, but the majority of taxa distinctive to Romuvaara are different from the taxa previously detected in saline deep groundwater in the Fennoscandian Shield, most likely because of the differences in water chemistry.

KW - deep continental biosphere

KW - Fennoscandian Shield

KW - microbial diversity

KW - functional genes

KW - qPCR

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DO - 10.1093/femsec/fiy116

M3 - Article

VL - 94

JO - FEMS Microbiology Ecology

JF - FEMS Microbiology Ecology

SN - 0168-6496

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M1 - fiy116

ER -

Purkamo L, Kietäväinen R, Miettinen H, Sohlberg E, Kukkonen I, Itävaara M et al. Diversity and functionality of archaeal, bacterial and fungal communities in deep Archaean bedrock groundwater. FEMS Microbiology Ecology. 2018 Jun;94(8). fiy116. https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiy116

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