Globally-distributed microbial eukaryotes exhibit endemism at deep-sea hydrothermal vents.

Single-celled microbial eukaryotes inhabit deep-sea hydrothermal vent environments and play critical ecological roles in the vent-associated microbial food web. 18S rRNA amplicon sequencing of diffuse venting fluids from four geographically- and geochemically-distinct hydrothermal vent fields was applied to investigate community diversity patterns among protistan assemblages. The four vent fields include Axial Seamount at the Juan de Fuca Ridge, Sea Cliff and Apollo at the Gorda Ridge, all in the NE Pacific Ocean, and Piccard and Von Damm at the Mid-Cayman Rise in the Caribbean Sea.

Genus-Specific Carbon Fixation Activity Measurements Reveal Distinct Responses to Oxygen among Hydrothermal Vent .

Molecular surveys of low temperature deep-sea hydrothermal vent fluids have shown that (previously ) often dominate the microbial community and that three genera, , , and , frequently coexist. In this study, we used replicated radiocarbon incubations of deep-sea hydrothermal fluids to investigate activity of each genus under three experimental conditions. To quantify genus-specific radiocarbon incorporation, we used newly designed oligonucleotide probes for , , and to quantify their activity using catalyzed-reporter deposition fluorescence hybridization (CARD-FISH) combined with fluorescence-activated cell sorting.

Production of Two Highly Abundant 2-Methyl-Branched Fatty Acids by Blooms of the Globally Significant Marine Cyanobacteria .

The bloom-forming cyanobacteria contribute up to 30% to the total fixed nitrogen in the global oceans and thereby drive substantial productivity. On an expedition in the Gulf of Mexico, we observed and sampled surface slicks, some of which included dense blooms of . These bloom samples contained abundant and atypical free fatty acids, identified here as 2-methyldecanoic acid and 2-methyldodecanoic acid.

Protistan grazing impacts microbial communities and carbon cycling at deep-sea hydrothermal vents.

Microbial eukaryotes (or protists) in marine ecosystems are a link between primary producers and all higher trophic levels, and the rate at which heterotrophic protistan grazers consume microbial prey is a key mechanism for carbon transport and recycling in microbial food webs. At deep-sea hydrothermal vents, chemosynthetic bacteria and archaea form the base of a food web that functions in the absence of sunlight, but the role of protistan grazers in these highly productive ecosystems is largely unexplored. Here, we pair grazing experiments with a molecular survey to quantify protistan grazing and to characterize the composition of vent-associated protists in low-temperature diffuse venting fluids from Gorda Ridge in the northeast Pacific Ocean.

Abiotic redox reactions in hydrothermal mixing zones: Decreased energy availability for the subsurface biosphere.

Subseafloor mixing of high-temperature hot-spring fluids with cold seawater creates intermediate-temperature diffuse fluids that are replete with potential chemical energy. This energy can be harnessed by a chemosynthetic biosphere that permeates hydrothermal regions on Earth. Shifts in the abundance of redox-reactive species in diffuse fluids are often interpreted to reflect the direct influence of subseafloor microbial activity on fluid geochemical budgets.

Physiological dynamics of chemosynthetic symbionts in hydrothermal vent snails.

Symbioses between invertebrate animals and chemosynthetic bacteria form the basis of hydrothermal vent ecosystems worldwide. In the Lau Basin, deep-sea vent snails of the genus Alviniconcha associate with either Gammaproteobacteria (A. kojimai, A.

Chemical and isotopic analyses of hydrocarbon-bearing fluid inclusions in olivine-rich rocks.

We examined the mineralogical, chemical and isotopic compositions of secondary fluid inclusions in olivine-rich rocks from two active serpentinization systems: the Von Damm hydrothermal field (Mid-Cayman Rise) and the Zambales ophiolite (Philippines). Peridotite, troctolite and gabbroic rocks in these systems contain abundant CH-rich secondary inclusions in olivine, with less abundant inclusions in plagioclase and clinopyroxene. Olivine-hosted secondary inclusions are chiefly composed of CH and minor H, in addition to secondary minerals including serpentine, brucite, magnetite and carbonates.

Primary productivity below the seafloor at deep-sea hot springs.

Below the seafloor at deep-sea hot springs, mixing of geothermal fluids with seawater supports a potentially vast microbial ecosystem. Although the identity of subseafloor microorganisms is largely known, their effect on deep-ocean biogeochemical cycles cannot be predicted without quantitative measurements of their metabolic rates and growth efficiency. Here, we report on incubations of subseafloor fluids under in situ conditions that quantitatively constrain subseafloor primary productivity, biomass standing stock, and turnover time.

Pathways for abiotic organic synthesis at submarine hydrothermal fields.

Arguments for an abiotic origin of low-molecular weight organic compounds in deep-sea hot springs are compelling owing to implications for the sustenance of deep biosphere microbial communities and their potential role in the origin of life. Theory predicts that warm H2-rich fluids, like those emanating from serpentinizing hydrothermal systems, create a favorable thermodynamic drive for the abiotic generation of organic compounds from inorganic precursors. Here, we constrain two distinct reaction pathways for abiotic organic synthesis in the natural environment at the Von Damm hydrothermal field and delineate spatially where inorganic carbon is converted into bioavailable reduced carbon.

Fallout plume of submerged oil from Deepwater Horizon.

The sinking of the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico led to uncontrolled emission of oil to the ocean, with an official government estimate of ∼ 5.0 million barrels released. Among the pressing uncertainties surrounding this event is the fate of ∼ 2 million barrels of submerged oil thought to have been trapped in deep-ocean intrusion layers at depths of ∼ 1,000-1,300 m.

Compositional discrimination of decompression and decomposition gas bubbles in bycaught seals and dolphins.

Gas bubbles in marine mammals entangled and drowned in gillnets have been previously described by computed tomography, gross examination and histopathology. The absence of bacteria or autolytic changes in the tissues of those animals suggested that the gas was produced peri- or post-mortem by a fast decompression, probably by quickly hauling animals entangled in the net at depth to the surface. Gas composition analysis and gas scoring are two new diagnostic tools available to distinguish gas embolisms from putrefaction gases.

Evolution of the plankton paleome in the Black Sea from the Deglacial to Anthropocene.

The complex interplay of climate shifts over Eurasia and global sea level changes modulates freshwater and saltwater inputs to the Black Sea. The dynamics of the hydrologic changes from the Late Glacial into the Holocene remain a matter of debate, and information on how these changes affected the ecology of the Black Sea is sparse. Here we used Roche 454 next-generation pyrosequencing of sedimentary 18S rRNA genes to reconstruct the plankton community structure in the Black Sea over the last ca.

Evidence for the role of endosymbionts in regional-scale habitat partitioning by hydrothermal vent symbioses.

Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are populated by dense communities of animals that form symbiotic associations with chemolithoautotrophic bacteria. To date, our understanding of which factors govern the distribution of host/symbiont associations (or holobionts) in nature is limited, although host physiology often is invoked. In general, the role that symbionts play in habitat utilization by vent holobionts has not been thoroughly addressed.

Acoustic measurement of the Deepwater Horizon Macondo well flow rate.

On May 31, 2010, a direct acoustic measurement method was used to quantify fluid leakage rate from the Deepwater Horizon Macondo well prior to removal of its broken riser. This method utilized an acoustic imaging sonar and acoustic Doppler sonar operating onboard a remotely operated vehicle for noncontact measurement of flow cross-section and velocity from the well's two leak sites. Over 2,500 sonar cross-sections and over 85,000 Doppler velocity measurements were recorded during the acquisition process.

Composition and fate of gas and oil released to the water column during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Quantitative information regarding the endmember composition of the gas and oil that flowed from the Macondo well during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is essential for determining the oil flow rate, total oil volume released, and trajectories and fates of hydrocarbon components in the marine environment. Using isobaric gas-tight samplers, we collected discrete samples directly above the Macondo well on June 21, 2010, and analyzed the gas and oil. We found that the fluids flowing from the Macondo well had a gas-to-oil ratio of 1,600 standard cubic feet per petroleum barrel.

Tracking hydrocarbon plume transport and biodegradation at Deepwater Horizon.

The Deepwater Horizon blowout is the largest offshore oil spill in history. We present results from a subsurface hydrocarbon survey using an autonomous underwater vehicle and a ship-cabled sampler. Our findings indicate the presence of a continuous plume of oil, more than 35 kilometers in length, at approximately 1100 meters depth that persisted for months without substantial biodegradation.

Gas chromatograph-combustion system for 14C-accelerator mass spectrometry.

A gas chromatograph-combustion (GC-C) system is described for the introduction of samples as CO(2) gas into a (14)C accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) system with a microwave-plasma gas ion source. Samples are injected into a gas chromatograph fitted with a megabore capillary column that uses H(2) as the carrier gas. The gas stream from the outlet of the column is mixed with O(2) and Ar gas and passed through a combustion furnace where the H(2) carrier gas and separated components are quantitatively oxidized to CO(2) and H(2)O.

Abiogenic hydrocarbon production at lost city hydrothermal field.

Low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons in natural hydrothermal fluids have been attributed to abiogenic production by Fischer-Tropsch type (FTT) reactions, although clear evidence for such a process has been elusive. Here, we present concentration, and stable and radiocarbon isotope, data from hydrocarbons dissolved in hydrogen-rich fluids venting at the ultramafic-hosted Lost City Hydrothermal Field. A distinct "inverse" trend in the stable carbon and hydrogen isotopic composition of C1 to C4 hydrocarbons is compatible with FTT genesis.

Compound-specific 81Br/79Br analysis by capillary gas chromatography/multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Brominated organic compounds (BOCs) are of great interest in atmospheric chemistry, natural products, geochemistry, and marine chemistry. The Br isotope ratios ((81)Br and (79)Br; average (81)Br/(79)Br = 0.97277) have significant potential for the study of the source, transport, and fate of these compounds.

Identification and quantification of alkene-based drilling fluids in crude oils by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with flame ionization detection.

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC x GC-FID) was used to measure alkene-based drilling fluids in crude oils. Compared to one-dimensional gas chromatography, GC x GC-FID is more robust for detecting alkenes due to the increased resolution afforded by second dimension separations. Using GC x GC-FID to analyze four oil samples from one reservoir contaminated with the same drilling fluid, C(15), C(16), C(17), C(18) and C(20) alkenes were identified.

Biological formation of ethane and propane in the deep marine subsurface.

Concentrations and isotopic compositions of ethane and propane in cold, deeply buried sediments from the southeastern Pacific are best explained by microbial production of these gases in situ. Reduction of acetate to ethane provides one feasible mechanism. Propane is enriched in (13)C relative to ethane.

Moving-wire device for carbon isotopic analyses of nanogram quantities of nonvolatile organic carbon.

We describe a moving-wire analyzer for measuring 13C in dissolved, involatile organic materials. Liquid samples are first deposited and dried on a continuously spooling nickel wire. The residual sample is then combusted as the wire moves through a furnace, and the evolved CO2 is analyzed by continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry.

A serpentinite-hosted ecosystem: the Lost City hydrothermal field.

The serpentinite-hosted Lost City hydrothermal field is a remarkable submarine ecosystem in which geological, chemical, and biological processes are intimately interlinked. Reactions between seawater and upper mantle peridotite produce methane- and hydrogen-rich fluids, with temperatures ranging from <40 degrees to 90 degrees C at pH 9 to 11, and carbonate chimneys 30 to 60 meters tall. A low diversity of microorganisms related to methane-cycling Archaea thrive in the warm porous interiors of the edifices.

Molecular fossil record of elevated methane levels in late Pleistocene coastal waters.

Accumulating evidence suggests that methane has been released episodically from hydrates trapped in sea floor sediments during many intervals of rapid climate warming. Here we show that sediments from the Santa Barbara Basin deposited during warm intervals in the last glacial period contain molecular fossils that are diagnostic of aerobic and anaerobic methanotrophs. Sediment intervals with high abundances of these compounds indicate episodes of vigorous methanotrophic activity in methane-laden water masses.