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Title: Diel vertical movements of the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria terebriformis in a sulfide-rich hot spring microbial mat

Abstract

Oscillatoria terebriformis, a thermophilic cyanobacterium, carried out a diel vertical movement pattern in Hunter's Hot Springs, Oregon. Throughout most daylight hours, populations of O. terebriformis covered the surface of microbial mats in the hot spring outflows below an upper temperature limit of 54/sup 0/C. Upon darkness trichomes moved downward by gliding motility into the substrate to a depth of 0.5 to 1.0 mm, where the population remained until dawn. At dawn the population rapidly returned to the top of the mats. Field studies with microelectrodes showed that the dense population of O. terebriformis moved each night across an oxygen-sulfide interface, entering a microenvironment which was anaerobic and reducing, a dramatic contrast to the daytime environment at the mat surface where oxygenic photosynthesis resulted in a supersaturated O/sub 2/. Laboratory experiments on motility with the use of sulfide gradients produced in agar revealed a negative response to sulfide at concentrations similar to those found in the natural mats. The motility response may help explain the presence of O. terebriformis below the mat surface at night. The movement back to the surface at dawn appears to be due to a combination of phototaxis, photokinesis, and the onset of oxygenic photosynthesis which consumesmore » sulfide.« less

Authors:
;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of Oregon, Eugene
OSTI Identifier:
5927182
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Appl. Environ. Microbiol.; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 53:9
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.; CYANOBACTERIA; PHOTOSYNTHESIS; TOLERANCE; SULFIDES; METABOLISM; HOT SPRINGS; OXYGEN; CHALCOGENIDES; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; ELEMENTS; MICROORGANISMS; NONMETALS; PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS; SULFUR COMPOUNDS; SYNTHESIS; THERMAL SPRINGS; WATER SPRINGS; 560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology

Citation Formats

Richardson, L L, and Castenholz, R W. Diel vertical movements of the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria terebriformis in a sulfide-rich hot spring microbial mat. United States: N. p., 1987. Web.
Richardson, L L, & Castenholz, R W. Diel vertical movements of the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria terebriformis in a sulfide-rich hot spring microbial mat. United States.
Richardson, L L, and Castenholz, R W. 1987. "Diel vertical movements of the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria terebriformis in a sulfide-rich hot spring microbial mat". United States.
@article{osti_5927182,
title = {Diel vertical movements of the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria terebriformis in a sulfide-rich hot spring microbial mat},
author = {Richardson, L L and Castenholz, R W},
abstractNote = {Oscillatoria terebriformis, a thermophilic cyanobacterium, carried out a diel vertical movement pattern in Hunter's Hot Springs, Oregon. Throughout most daylight hours, populations of O. terebriformis covered the surface of microbial mats in the hot spring outflows below an upper temperature limit of 54/sup 0/C. Upon darkness trichomes moved downward by gliding motility into the substrate to a depth of 0.5 to 1.0 mm, where the population remained until dawn. At dawn the population rapidly returned to the top of the mats. Field studies with microelectrodes showed that the dense population of O. terebriformis moved each night across an oxygen-sulfide interface, entering a microenvironment which was anaerobic and reducing, a dramatic contrast to the daytime environment at the mat surface where oxygenic photosynthesis resulted in a supersaturated O/sub 2/. Laboratory experiments on motility with the use of sulfide gradients produced in agar revealed a negative response to sulfide at concentrations similar to those found in the natural mats. The motility response may help explain the presence of O. terebriformis below the mat surface at night. The movement back to the surface at dawn appears to be due to a combination of phototaxis, photokinesis, and the onset of oxygenic photosynthesis which consumes sulfide.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5927182}, journal = {Appl. Environ. Microbiol.; (United States)},
number = ,
volume = 53:9,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987},
month = {Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987}
}