Environmental genomics reveals a single species ecosystem deep within the Earth

Journal Article · Wed Sep 17 00:00:00 EDT 2008 · Nature (London)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1155495· OSTI ID:940583

Chivian, Dylan; Brodie, Eoin L; Alm, Eric J; Culley, David E; Dehal, Paramvir S; DeSantis, Todd Z; Gihring, Thomas M; Lapidus, Alla; Lin, Li-Hung; Lowry, Stephen R; Moser, Duane P; Richardson, Paul; Southam, Gordon; Wanger, Greg; Pratt, Lisa M; Andersen, Gary L; Hazen, Terry C; Brockman, Fred J; Arkin, Adam P; Onstott, Tullis C

DNA from low biodiversity fracture water collected at 2.8 km depth in a South African gold mine was sequenced and assembled into a single, complete genome. This bacterium, Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator, comprises>99.9percent of the microorganisms inhabiting the fluid phase of this particular fracture. Its genome indicates a motile, sporulating, sulfate reducing, chemoautotrophic thermophile that can fix its own nitrogen and carbon using machinery shared with archaea. Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator is capable of an independent lifestyle well suited to long-term isolation from the photosphere deep within Earth?s crust, and offers the first example of a natural ecosystem that appears to have its biological component entirely encoded within a single genome.

• Research Organization: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: Earth Sciences Division; Physical Biosciences Division
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 940583
• Report Number(s): LBNL-1017E
• Journal Information: Nature (London), Journal Name: Nature (London); ISSN 0028-0836
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Biogeochemistry
Comparative Genomics
Environmental Genomics
Evolutionary Biology
Extremophiles
Field Studies
Functional Genomics
Metagenomics
CARBON
DNA
ECOSYSTEMS
FRACTURES
GOLD
MACHINERY
MICROORGANISMS
NITROGEN
PHOTOSPHERE
SPECIES DIVERSITY
SULFATES
WATER