Comparing microbial populations from diverse hydrothermal features in Yellowstone National Park: hot springs and mud volcanoes.

Geothermal features, such as hot springs and mud volcanoes, host diverse microbial life, including many extremophile organisms. The physicochemical parameters of the geothermal feature, such as temperature, pH, and heavy metal concentration, can influence the alpha and beta diversity of microbial life in these environments, as can spatiotemporal differences between sites and sampling. In this study, water and sediment samples were collected and analyzed from eight geothermal sites at Yellowstone National Park, including six hot springs, a mud volcano, and an acidic lake within the same week in July 2019, and these geothermal sites varied greatly in their temperature, pH, and chemical composition.