1. Young «oil site» of the Uzon Caldera as a habitat for unique microbial life.
- Author
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Peltek SE, Bryanskaya AV, Uvarova YE, Rozanov AS, Ivanisenko TV, Ivanisenko VA, Lazareva EV, Saik OV, Efimov VM, Zhmodik SM, Taran OP, Slynko NM, Shekhovtsov SV, Parmon VN, Dobretsov NL, and Kolchanov NA
- Subjects
- Archaea genetics, Archaea isolation & purification, Bacteria genetics, Bacteria isolation & purification, Biodegradation, Environmental, DNA, Ribosomal genetics, Hot Springs chemistry, Hydrogen-Ion Concentration, Metabolic Networks and Pathways, Microbiota, Phylogeny, RNA, Ribosomal, 16S genetics, Archaea classification, Bacteria classification, Hot Springs microbiology, Hydrocarbons metabolism, Soil chemistry
- Abstract
Background: The Uzon Caldera is one of the places on our planet with unique geological, ecological, and microbiological characteristics. Uzon oil is the youngest on Earth. Uzon oil has unique composition, with low proportion of heavy fractions and relatively high content of saturated hydrocarbons. Microbial communities of the «oil site» have a diverse composition and live at high temperatures (up to 97 °C), significant oscillations of Eh and pH, and high content of sulfur, sulfides, arsenic, antimony, and mercury in water and rocks., Results: The study analyzed the composition, structure and unique genetics characteristics of the microbial communities of the oil site, analyzed the metabolic pathways in the communities. Metabolic pathways of hydrocarbon degradation by microorganisms have been found. The study found statistically significant relationships between geochemical parameters, taxonomic composition and the completeness of metabolic pathways. It was demonstrated that geochemical parameters determine the structure and metabolic potential of microbial communities., Conclusions: There were statistically significant relationships between geochemical parameters, taxonomic composition, and the completeness of metabolic pathways. It was demonstrated that geochemical parameters define the structure and metabolic potential of microbial communities. Metabolic pathways of hydrocarbon oxidation was found to prevail in the studied communities, which corroborates the hypothesis on abiogenic synthesis of Uzon hydrothermal petroleum.
- Published
- 2020
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