A review of the microbiology of the Rehai geothermal field in Tengchong, Yunnan Province, China

Abstract

The Rehai Geothermal Field, located in Tengchong County, in central-western Yunnan Province, is the largest and most intensively studied geothermal field in China. A wide physicochemical diversity of springs (ambient to w97 C; pH from 1.8 to !9.3) provides a multitude of niches for extremophilic microorganisms. A variety of studies have focused on the cultivation, identification, basic physiology, taxonomy, and biotechnological potential of thermophilic microorganisms from Rehai. Thermophilic bacteria isolated from Rehai belong to the phyla Firmicutes and Deinococcus-Thermus. Firmicutes include neutrophilic or alkaliphilic Anoxybacillus, Bacillus, Caldalkalibacillus, Caldanaerobacter, Laceyella, and Geobacillus, as well as thermoacidophilic Alicyclobacillus and Sulfobacillus. Isolates from the Deinococcus-Thermus phylum include several Meiothermus and Thermus species. Many of these bacteria synthesize thermostable polymer-degrading enzymes that may be useful for biotechnology. The thermoacidophilic archaea Acidianus, Metallosphaera, and Sulfolobus have also been isolated and studied. A few studies have reported the isolation of thermophilic viruses belonging to Siphoviridae (TTSP4 and TTSP10) and Fuselloviridae (STSV1) infecting Thermus spp. and Sulfolobus

Greater temporal changes of sediment microbial community than its waterborne counterpart in Tengchong hot springs, Yunnan Province, China

“…The hot springs in Tengchong County, Yunnan Province of China, are located in a subtropical area with heavy temporal monsoon rainfall (rainy season May-October), and these springs represent a wide range of microbial niches for highly diverse Achaea, Bacteria, and viruses9192223242526. Rehai and Diantan (formally Ruidian) are two main geothermal areas within the Tengchong geothermal system.…”

Impacts of temperature and pH on the distribution of archaeal lipids in Yunnan hot springs, China

“…Thus thaumarchaeol was proposed as a biomarker for Thaumarchaeota involved in chemolithotrophic ammonia oxidation (de la Torre et al, 2008). Previous studies showed that amoA genes were present in Yunnan hot springs (Zhang et al, 2008; Jiang et al, 2010; Hedlund et al, 2012) where thaumarchaeol occurred. GDGTs from the hot springs falling in Group 2.2 were dominated by thaumarchaeol, which indicates that Thaumarchaeota and the process of ammonia oxidation might occurred in hot springs belonging to this group ( Figure 3 ).…”

“…Recent molecular studies have showed that hot springs in Yunnan harbored diverse archaeal populations (Song et al, 2010; Hedlund et al, 2012; Hou et al, 2013) and that the community structures were influenced by the combination of temperature and pH (Hou et al, 2013). In this study, Thaum/(Thaum + GDGT-0) correlated negatively with temperature in Group 1 ( Figure 5A ) and negatively with pH in Group 2 ( Figure 5C ; pH 6–8), suggesting that the relative abundance of Thaumarchaeota to Euryarchaeota was predominantly affected by temperature in Group 1 and by pH in Group 2.…”

Extremophile Current Challenges and New Gate of Knowledge by Nanoparticles Pathways.

“…In hyperthermophilicbacteria, there are 10 orders including 29 genera, and more than 70 species [16]. Some examples of such bacteria are Thermocrinis rubber, T. neapolitana, Thermotoga maritima, Fervidobacterium pennavorans, A. profundus, and Aquifl expyrophilus [17]. Among these species, T.maritima and A. pyrophilusshows the highest growth temperatures (90 and 95°C,respectively).In Archaea, which represent the majority of hyperthermophiles the genera Desulforococcus, Thermococcus, Thermoproteus, Sulfolobus, Pyrobolus, Pyrococcus, Pyrodictium, Pyrobaculum, Ferroglobus, and Archaeoglobus are grown above 80 °C.…”