The Rehai and Ruidian geothermal fields, located in Tengchong County, Yunnan Province, China, host a variety of geochemically distinct hot springs. In this study, we report a comprehensive, cultivation-independent census of microbial communities in 37 samples collected from these geothermal fields, encompassing sites ranging in temperature from 55.1 to 93.6°C, in pH from 2.5 to 9.4, and in mineralogy from silicates in Rehai to carbonates in Ruidian. Richness was low in all samples, with 21–123 species-level OTUs detected. The bacterial phylum Aquificae or archaeal phylum Crenarchaeota were dominant in Rehai samples, yet the dominant taxa within those phyla depended on temperature, pH, and geochemistry. Rehai springs with low pH (2.5–2.6), high temperature (85.1–89.1°C), and high sulfur contents favored the crenarchaeal order Sulfolobales, whereas those with low pH (2.6–4.8) and cooler temperature (55.1–64.5°C) favored the Aquificae genus Hydrogenobaculum. Rehai springs with neutral-alkaline pH (7.2–9.4) and high temperature (>80°C) with high concentrations of silica and salt ions (Na, K, and Cl) favored the Aquificae genus Hydrogenobacter and crenarchaeal orders Desulfurococcales and Thermoproteales. Desulfurococcales and Thermoproteales became predominant in springs with pH much higher than the optimum and even the maximum pH known for these orders. Ruidian water samples harbored a single Aquificae genus Hydrogenobacter, whereas microbial communities in Ruidian sediment samples were more diverse at the phylum level and distinctly different from those in Rehai and Ruidian water samples, with a higher abundance of uncultivated lineages, close relatives of the ammonia-oxidizing archaeon “Candidatus Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii”, and candidate division O1aA90 and OP1. These differences between Ruidian sediments and Rehai samples were likely caused by temperature, pH, and sediment mineralogy. The results of this study significantly expand the current understanding of the microbiology in Tengchong hot springs and provide a basis for comparison with other geothermal systems around the world.

The Tibetan Plateau in Northwest China hosts a number of hot springs that represent a biodiversity hotspot for thermophiles, yet their diversity and relationship to environmental conditions are poorly explored in these habitats. In this study we investigated microbial diversity and community composition in 13 Tibetan hot springs with a wide range of temperatures (22.1–75°C) and other geochemical conditions by using the 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing approach. Bacteria (108–1011 copy/g; 42 bacterial phyla) in Tibetan hot springs were more abundant and far more diverse than Archaea (107–1010 copy/g; 5 archaeal phyla). The dominant bacterial phyla systematically varied with temperature. Moderate temperatures (75–66°C) favored Aquificae, GAL35, and novel Bacteria, whereas low temperatures (60–22.1°C) selected for Deinococcus-Thermus, Cyanobacteria, and Chloroflexi. The relative abundance of Aquificae was correlated positively with temperature, but the abundances of Deinococcus-Thermus, Cyanobacteria, and Chloroflexi were negatively correlated with temperature. Cyanobacteria and Chloroflexi were abundant in Tibetan hot springs and their abundances were positively correlated at low temperatures (55–43°C) but negatively correlated at moderate temperatures (75–55°C). These correlation patterns suggest a complex physiological relationship between these two phyla. Most archaeal sequences were related to Crenarchaeota with only a few related to Euryarchaeota and Thaumarchaeota. Despite the fact that microbial composition in Tibetan hot springs was strongly shaped by temperature, microbial diversity (richness, evenness and Shannon diversity) was not significantly correlated with temperature change. The results of this study expand our current understanding of microbial ecology in Tibetan hot springs and provide a basis for a global comparison.

Hydroxyl radicals (•OH) exert a strong impact on the carbon cycle due to their nonselective and highly oxidizing nature. Reduced iron-containing clay minerals (RIC) are one of the major contributors to the formation of •OH in dark environments, but their interactions with humic acids (HA) are poorly known. Here, we investigate the mutual interactions between RIC and HA under dark and oxygenated conditions. HA decreased the oxidation rate of structural Fe(II) in RIC but significantly promoted the •OH yield. HA dissolved a fraction of Fe(II) from RIC to form an aqueous Fe(II)−HA complex. •OH were generated through both heterogeneous (through oxidation of structural Fe(II)) and homogeneous pathways (through oxidation of aqueous Fe(II)−HA species). RIC-mediated •OH production by providing H 2 O 2 to react with Fe(II)−HA and electrons to regenerate Fe(II)−HA. This highly efficient homogeneous pathway was responsible for increased •OH yield. Abundant •OH significantly decreased the molecular size, bleached chromophores, and increased the oxygen-containing functional groups of HA. These molecular changes of HA resembled photochemical transformation of HA. The mutual interaction between RIC and HA in dark and redoxfluctuating environments provides a new pathway for fast turnover of recalcitrant organic matters in clay-and HA-rich ecosystems such as tropical forest soils and tidal marsh sediments.

Branched glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraethers (bGDGTs) are known as bacterial lipids that occur widely in terrestrial environments, particularly in anaerobic peat bogs and soil. We examined the abundance and distribution of bGDGTs in both core (C) and polar (P) lipid fractions from the water column and surface sediments in the lower Pearl River (PR) and its estuary using two extraction methods (sonication vs. Bligh and Dyer). A number of soil samples in the lower PR drainage basin were also collected and extracted for bGDGTs using the sonication method. The results showed aquatic production of bGDGTs as supported by substantial abundances of P-bGDGTs in the water column and sediment samples. The bGDGT-based proxies (BIT, CBT, and MBT) were not affected by the method of extraction when C-bGDGTs were analyzed; in such case, the pHCBT of the sediments reflected the soil pH of the lower PR drainage basin, and the temperature close to the annual mean air temperature (MAT) in the lower PR basin. On the other hand, the P-bGDGT-derived proxies were inconsistent between the two methods. The P-bGDGTs (particularly those extracted using the sonication method) may not be reliable indicators of annual MATs.

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The mineral-microbe interactions play important roles in environmental change, biogeochemical cycling of elements, and formation of ore deposits. Minerals provide both beneficial (physical and chemical protection, nutrients, and energy) and detrimental (toxic substances and oxidative pressure) effects to microbes, resulting in mineral-specific microbial colonization. Microbes impact dissolution, transformation, and precipitation of minerals through their activity, resulting in either genetically-controlled or metabolism-induced biomineralization. Through these interactions minerals and microbes coevolve through Earth history. The mineral-microbe interactions typically occur at microscopic scale but the effect is often manifested at global scale. Despite advances achieved through decades of research, major questions remain. Four areas are identified for future research: integrating mineral and microbial ecology, establishing mineral biosignatures, linking laboratory mechanistic investigation to field observation, and manipulating mineral-microbe interactions for the benefit of humankind.

Lakes receive large amounts of terrestrially derived dissolved organic matter (tDOM). However, little is known about how aquatic microbial communities interact with tDOM in lakes. Here, by performing microcosm experiments we investigated how microbial community responded to tDOM influx in six Tibetan lakes of different salinities (ranging from 1 to 358 g/l). In response to tDOM addition, microbial biomass increased while dissolved organic carbon (DOC) decreased. The amount of DOC decrease did not show any significant correlation with salinity. However, salinity influenced tDOM transformation, i.e., microbial communities from higher salinity lakes exhibited a stronger ability to utilize tDOM of high carbon numbers than those from lower salinity. Abundant taxa and copiotrophs were actively involved in tDOM transformation, suggesting their vital roles in lacustrine carbon cycle. Network analysis indicated that 66 operational taxonomic units (OTUs, affiliated with Alphaproteobacteria , Actinobacteria , Bacteroidia , Bacilli , Gammaproteobacteria , Halobacteria , Planctomycetacia , Rhodothermia , and Verrucomicrobiae ) were associated with degradation of CHO compounds, while four bacterial OTUs (affiliated with Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, Bacteroidia and Gammaproteobacteria ) were highly associated with the degradation of CHOS compounds. Network analysis further revealed that tDOM transformation may be a synergestic process, involving cooperation among multiple species. In summary, our study provides new insights into a microbial role in transforming tDOM in saline lakes and has important implications for understanding the carbon cycle in aquatic environments.

Temporal variation in geochemistry can cause changes in microbial community structure and diversity. Here we studied temporal changes of microbial communities in Tengchong hot springs of Yunnan Province, China in response to geochemical variations by using microbial and geochemical data collected in January, June and August of 2011. Greater temporal variations were observed in individual taxa than at the whole community structure level. Water and sediment communities exhibited different temporal variation patterns. Water communities were largely stable across three sampling times and dominated by similar microbial lineages: Hydrogenobaculum in moderate-temperature acidic springs, Sulfolobus in high-temperature acidic springs, and Hydrogenobacter in high-temperature circumneutral to alkaline springs. Sediment communities were more diverse and responsive to changing physicochemical conditions. Most of the sediment communities in January and June were similar to those in waters. However, the August sediment community was more diverse and contained more anaerobic heterotrophs than the January and June: Desulfurella and Acidicaldus in moderate-temperature acidic springs, Ignisphaera and Desulfurococcus in high-temperature acidic springs, the candidate division OP1 and Fervidobacterium in alkaline springs, and Thermus and GAL35 in neutral springs. Temporal variations in physicochemical parameters including temperature, pH, and dissolved organic carbon may have triggered the observed microbial community shifts.