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Title: Insights into microbial community structure and function from a shallow, simulated CO2-leakage aquifer demonstrate microbial selection and adaptation

Abstract

Geological carbon storage is likely to be a part of a comprehensive strategy to minimize the atmospheric release of carbon dioxide (CO2), raising concerns that injected CO2 will leak into overlying freshwater aquifers. CO2(aq) leakage may impact the dominant microbial community responsible for important ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, metal cycling and carbon conversion. Here, we examined the impact of an experimental in situ CO2 leakage on a freshwater aquifer microbial community. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing demonstrated lower microbial diversity in freshwater wells with CO2 concentrations above 1.15 g/L. Metagenomic sequencing and population genome binning were used to evaluate the metabolic potential of microbial populations across four CO2 exposed samples and one control sample. Population genome binning resulted in the recovery and annotation of three metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs). Two of the MAGs, most closely related to Curvibacter and Sulfuricurvum, had the functional capacity for CO2 utilization via carbon fixation coupled to sulfur and iron oxidation. The third draft genome was an Archaea, most closely related to Methanoregula, characterized by the metabolic potential for methanogenesis. Together, these findings show that CO2 leakage in a freshwater aquifer poses a strong selection, driving both microbial community structure and metabolic function.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, (United States)
  2. National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, (United States); Oak Ridge Inst. for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  3. National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, (United States); AECOM, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
  4. Oak Ridge Inst. for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of Notre Dame, IN (United States). Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
OSTI Identifier:
1569824
Report Number(s):
NETL-PUB-21777
Journal ID: ISSN 1758-2229
Grant/Contract Number:  
89243318CFE000003
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Environmental Microbiology Reports
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 11; Journal Issue: 3; Journal ID: ISSN 1758-2229
Publisher:
Wiley-Blackwell
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Citation Formats

Gulliver, Djuna, Lipus, Daniel, Ross, Daniel, and Bibby, Kyle. Insights into microbial community structure and function from a shallow, simulated CO2-leakage aquifer demonstrate microbial selection and adaptation. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1111/1758-2229.12675.
Gulliver, Djuna, Lipus, Daniel, Ross, Daniel, & Bibby, Kyle. Insights into microbial community structure and function from a shallow, simulated CO2-leakage aquifer demonstrate microbial selection and adaptation. United States. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.12675
Gulliver, Djuna, Lipus, Daniel, Ross, Daniel, and Bibby, Kyle. Sun . "Insights into microbial community structure and function from a shallow, simulated CO2-leakage aquifer demonstrate microbial selection and adaptation". United States. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-2229.12675. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1569824.
@article{osti_1569824,
title = {Insights into microbial community structure and function from a shallow, simulated CO2-leakage aquifer demonstrate microbial selection and adaptation},
author = {Gulliver, Djuna and Lipus, Daniel and Ross, Daniel and Bibby, Kyle},
abstractNote = {Geological carbon storage is likely to be a part of a comprehensive strategy to minimize the atmospheric release of carbon dioxide (CO2), raising concerns that injected CO2 will leak into overlying freshwater aquifers. CO2(aq) leakage may impact the dominant microbial community responsible for important ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, metal cycling and carbon conversion. Here, we examined the impact of an experimental in situ CO2 leakage on a freshwater aquifer microbial community. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing demonstrated lower microbial diversity in freshwater wells with CO2 concentrations above 1.15 g/L. Metagenomic sequencing and population genome binning were used to evaluate the metabolic potential of microbial populations across four CO2 exposed samples and one control sample. Population genome binning resulted in the recovery and annotation of three metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs). Two of the MAGs, most closely related to Curvibacter and Sulfuricurvum, had the functional capacity for CO2 utilization via carbon fixation coupled to sulfur and iron oxidation. The third draft genome was an Archaea, most closely related to Methanoregula, characterized by the metabolic potential for methanogenesis. Together, these findings show that CO2 leakage in a freshwater aquifer poses a strong selection, driving both microbial community structure and metabolic function.},
doi = {10.1111/1758-2229.12675},
journal = {Environmental Microbiology Reports},
number = 3,
volume = 11,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jul 08 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Sun Jul 08 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}

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Cited by: 9 works
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Figures / Tables:

Figure 1 Figure 1: Conceptual model demonstrating Plant Daniel wells with detected CO2(aq) measurements (top panel, from left to right 0 g CO2/L, 1.53 g CO2/L, 1.15 g CO2/L, 0.08 g CO2/L, and 0g CO2/L), 16S rRNA gene (dark shade) and shotgun metagenomics(light shade) community structure of the most abundant and relevantmore » microbial orders (middle panel), and microbial diversity (based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing) showing the number of OTUs and the Shannon index. Circles in top left corner correlate bubble size in the middle panel with relative abundance.« less

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Figures/Tables have been extracted from DOE-funded journal article accepted manuscripts.