Distribution and isotopic composition of bacterial lipid biomarkers in microbial mats from a sulfidic Icelandic hot spring

Marcel T.J. van der Meer, Laurens Lammerts, Sigurlaug Skirnisdottir, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté, Stefan Schouten

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Green, nonsulfur-like bacteria (GNSLB) and cyanobacteria form major components of microbial mats in both sulfidic and non-sulfidic hot springs and have been mainly studied in hot springs of Yellowstone National Park (YNP). These organisms synthesize specific lipid biomarkers Such as wax esters and long chain polyunsaturated alkenes (GNSLB) and heptadecane (cyanobacteria). We analyzed the lipid distribution and their stable carbon isotopic composition in sulfidic Icelandic hot spring microbial mats known to contain GNSLB and cyanobacteria. Based on the lipid distribution, it seems that the GNSLB in these mats are closely related to Chloroflexus aurantiacus. The stable carbon isotopic composition of the bulk biomass and wax esters suggests mainly autotrophic growth by GNSLB in this sulfidic hot spring. However, the stable carbon isotopic composition of hentriacontatriene in the two GNSLB mats suggests an alternative carbon source for the C-31:3 alkene producing GNSLB from that in YNP. The isotopic composition of cyanobacterial biomarkers in the mat most distant from the source of the hot spring seems to suggest inorganic carbon limitation for cyanobacteria, possibly because they grow underneath the GNSLB in these sulfidic hot spring inverted microbial mats. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1015-1019
Number of pages5
JournalOrganic Geochemistry
Volume39
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2008
Event23rd International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry - Torquay
Duration: 9 Sept 200714 Sept 2007

Keywords

  • Yellowstone-national-park
  • Chloroflexus-aurantiacus
  • Extractable lipids
  • Cyanobacterial mat
  • Carbon metabolism
  • Co2 fixation
  • Fractionation
  • Environments

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Distribution and isotopic composition of bacterial lipid biomarkers in microbial mats from a sulfidic Icelandic hot spring'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this