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Title: Ecophysiology of terminal carbon metabolizing bacteria in anoxic sedimentary environments

Abstract

Chemical, radiotracer, and microbiological experiments were used to understand the transformation of simple carbon compounds by anaerobic bacteria in diverse aquatic sediments and laboratory cultures. The mildly acidic sediments of Knack Lake (pH 6.2), displayed low rates of organic decomposition, and methane formation occurred almost exclusively from acetate. Low pH inhibited methanogenesis and organic decomposition. Fall turnover in Lake Mendota sediments was associated with dramatic changes in environmental parameters including: elevated concentrations of sulfate and carbon metabolites, increased rates of sulfate reduction, decreased levels of methanogenesis, increased ratio (by viable counts) of sulfate reducing to methanogenic bacteria, and higher /sup 14/CO/sub 2///sup 14/C/sub 4/ + /sup 14/CO/sub 2/ gas ratios produced during the biodegradation of /sup 14/C-carbon substrates (e.g., acetate and methanol). Hydrogen consumption by sulfate reducers in Lake Mendota sediments and in co-cultures of Desulfovibrio vulgaris and Methanosarcina barkeri led to an alteration in the carbon and electron flow pathway resulting in increased CO/sub 2/, sulfide production, and decreased methanogenesis. These data agreed with the environmental observations in Lake Mendota that high sulfate concentrations resulted in higher ratios of CO/sub 2//CH/sub 4/ produced from the degradation of organic matter. A new glycine-metabolizing acetogenic species was isolated and characterized frommore » Knaack Lake which further extended the known diversity of anaerobic bacteria in nature.« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Wisconsin Univ., Madison (USA)
OSTI Identifier:
5006743
Resource Type:
Thesis/Dissertation
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; CARBON 14 COMPOUNDS; BIODEGRADATION; METABOLISM; DESULFOVIBRIO; PHYSIOLOGY; ACETATES; ANOXIA; CARBON DIOXIDE; LAKES; METHANOL; PH VALUE; SEDIMENTS; ALCOHOLS; BACTERIA; CARBON COMPOUNDS; CARBON OXIDES; CARBOXYLIC ACID SALTS; CHALCOGENIDES; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; DECOMPOSITION; HYDROXY COMPOUNDS; LABELLED COMPOUNDS; MICROORGANISMS; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; OXIDES; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; SULFATE-REDUCING BACTERIA; SURFACE WATERS; 550701* - Microbiology- Tracer Techniques

Citation Formats

Phelps, T J. Ecophysiology of terminal carbon metabolizing bacteria in anoxic sedimentary environments. United States: N. p., 1985. Web.
Phelps, T J. Ecophysiology of terminal carbon metabolizing bacteria in anoxic sedimentary environments. United States.
Phelps, T J. 1985. "Ecophysiology of terminal carbon metabolizing bacteria in anoxic sedimentary environments". United States.
@article{osti_5006743,
title = {Ecophysiology of terminal carbon metabolizing bacteria in anoxic sedimentary environments},
author = {Phelps, T J},
abstractNote = {Chemical, radiotracer, and microbiological experiments were used to understand the transformation of simple carbon compounds by anaerobic bacteria in diverse aquatic sediments and laboratory cultures. The mildly acidic sediments of Knack Lake (pH 6.2), displayed low rates of organic decomposition, and methane formation occurred almost exclusively from acetate. Low pH inhibited methanogenesis and organic decomposition. Fall turnover in Lake Mendota sediments was associated with dramatic changes in environmental parameters including: elevated concentrations of sulfate and carbon metabolites, increased rates of sulfate reduction, decreased levels of methanogenesis, increased ratio (by viable counts) of sulfate reducing to methanogenic bacteria, and higher /sup 14/CO/sub 2///sup 14/C/sub 4/ + /sup 14/CO/sub 2/ gas ratios produced during the biodegradation of /sup 14/C-carbon substrates (e.g., acetate and methanol). Hydrogen consumption by sulfate reducers in Lake Mendota sediments and in co-cultures of Desulfovibrio vulgaris and Methanosarcina barkeri led to an alteration in the carbon and electron flow pathway resulting in increased CO/sub 2/, sulfide production, and decreased methanogenesis. These data agreed with the environmental observations in Lake Mendota that high sulfate concentrations resulted in higher ratios of CO/sub 2//CH/sub 4/ produced from the degradation of organic matter. A new glycine-metabolizing acetogenic species was isolated and characterized from Knaack Lake which further extended the known diversity of anaerobic bacteria in nature.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5006743}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1985},
month = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1985}
}

Thesis/Dissertation:
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