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Marine habitats harbor a great diversity of microorganism from the three domains of life, only a small fraction of which can be cultivated. Metagenomic approaches are increasingly popular for addressing microbial diversity without culture, serving as sensitive and relatively unbiased methods for identifying and cataloging the diversity of nucleic acid sequences derived from organisms in environmental samples. Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (AAP) play important roles in carbon and energy cycling in aquatic systems. In oceans, those bacteria are widely distributed; however, their abundance and importance are still poorly understood. The aim of this study was to estimate abundance and diversity of AAPs in metagenomes from an upwelling affected coastal bay in Arraial do Cabo, Brazil, using in silico screening for the anoxygenic photosynthesis core genes. Metagenomes from the Global Ocean Sample Expedition (GOS) were screened for comparative purposes. AAPs were highly abundant in the free-living bacterial fraction from Arraial do Cabo: 23.88% of total bacterial cells, compared with 15% in the GOS dataset. Of the ten most AAP abundant samples from GOS, eight were collected close to the Equator where solar irradiation is high year-round. We were able to assign most retrieved sequences to phylo-groups, with a particularly high abundance of Roseobacter in Arraial do Cabo samples. The high abundance of AAP in this tropical bay may be related to the upwelling phenomenon and subsequent picoplankton bloom. These results suggest a link between upwelling and light abundance and demonstrate AAP even in oligotrophic tropical and subtropical environments. Longitudinal studies in the Arraial do Cabo region are warranted to understand the dynamics of AAP at different locations and seasons, and the ecological role of these unique bacteria for biogeochemical and energy cycling in the ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

naerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria can be found in the suboxic waters of shallow stratified coastal systems, and may play important roles in the total primary production of subtropical stratified coastal lagoons. We investigated the spatiotemporal variability of light CO fixation and net oxygen production in the stratified Conceição Lagoon (Brazil) in summer and fall of 2007, as well as the contribution of bacteriochlorophyll a (BChl a)-containing bacteria to photosynthetically driven electron transfer. Both chlorophyll a (Chl a) and BChl a varied in space, while only BChl a varied in time (three-fold increase from summer to fall). In summer, net oxygen production and light CO fixation were correlated, with both having higher rates with higher Chl a concentrations in the enclosed region of the lagoon. In fall, CO fixation was decoupled from oxygen production. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis revealed that bacterial communities of oxic site 12 and suboxic site 33 formed one cluster, different from other oxic samples within the lagoon. In addition, BChl a/Chl a ratios at these sites were high, 40% and 45%, respectively. Light acted as the main factor controlling the BChl a concentration and CO fixation rates. High turbidity within the enclosed area of the lagoon explained high BChl a and decoupling between CO fixation and oxygen production in oxygenated waters. Contribution of purple sulfur bacteria to total bacterial density in suboxic waters was 1.2%, and their biomass contributed to a much higher percentage (12.2%) due to their large biovolume. Our results indicate a significant contribution of anaerobic anoxygenic bacteria to the primary production of the 'dead zone' of Conceição Lagoon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The daily course of photosynthetic parameters of a population of the freshwater red alga Sirodotia delicatula from São Paulo State, Brazil (20°43′24″S, 49°18′21″W) was investigated under natural and laboratory conditions using dissolved oxygen and in vivo chlorophyll fluorescence techniques. Field specimens in laboratory conditions showed a defined daily pattern for net photosynthesis (NP) with two peaks observed in marine macroalgae and some freshwater red algae: the first (the highest) during the morning, and the second (the lowest and less evident) during the afternoon. Values of electron transport rate did not show a clear pattern of daily variation. NP results suggest the existence of an endogenous rhythm controlling photosynthesis. The study under natural conditions in two contrasting periods (autumn (June) and spring (October)) showed that the daily course of effective and potential quantum yield values was negatively correlated with irradiance and values were similar in the beginning and end of the day. These data evidenced, respectively, high excitement pressure on photosystem II and good recovery capacity (with lower values in spring) and a lack of irreversible photodamage to photosynthetic apparatus due to the prolonged exposure to high irradiances. Non-photochemical quenching values were also negatively correlated with the irradiance, suggesting a low dissipation capacity of excess energy absorbed by reaction centers. The results evidenced a typical pattern of daily variation with evident response to irradiance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• GC × GC–TOFMS analysis used to characterize aryl isoprenoids and diagenetic carotenoids. • Application of high temperature GC × GC for structured resolution of biomarkers. • Isorenieratane, chlorobactane and diagenetic derivatives found in Cretaceous crude oils. • Photic zone euxinia (PZE) occurred in rifted South Atlantic marginal basins. • Molecular geochemical indicators of green sulfur bacteria revealed by GC × GC–TOFMS. Diagenetic aromatic carotenoids and degradation products, which are derived from the carotenoids of photosynthetic sulfur bacteria, were characterized in the aromatic fraction of Brazilian Cretaceous crude oils (NE Brazil, Sergipe-Alagoas Basin) by high-temperature comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HT-GC × GC–TOFMS). Unresolved complex mixtures (UCM), coeluting compounds, and limited mass spectrometric identification were noted by traditional one-dimensional (1D) GC–MS screening of aromatic compounds. Group-type separation on a two-dimensional chromatographic plane, first- and second-dimension retention times (1t R and 2t R , respectively), and mass spectra enabled the assignment of alkylated mono-, di-, tri-, and tetra-aryl hydrocarbons with confidence. A series of diagenetic C 40 carotenoids and degraded products, which are likely indicators for green-brown sulfur bacteria, were detected. This finding corroborates previous results, and isorenieratane was relatively more abundant than 2,3,6-trimethylaryl isoprenoids. Moreover, atropisomeric biphenyls (m / z 237), which coeluted using 1D GC–MS analyses, were resolved by GC × GC and identified by mass spectrometry. The identification of minor abundances of chlorobactane, diagenetic biphenyl chlorobactane, and related compounds, for the first time in these Brazilian Cretaceous oils, may indicate a contribution of green sulfur bacteria (Chlorobiaceae) and photic zone euxinia in shallow waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]