Comparative bacterial diversity in recent Hawaiian volcanic deposits of different ages

Abstract

Volcanic activity creates new landforms that can change dramatically over time as a consequence of biotic succession. Nonetheless, volcanic deposits present severe constraints for microbial colonization and activity. We have characterized bacterial diversity on four recent deposits at Kilauea volcano, Hawaii (KVD). Much of the diversity was either closely related to uncultured organisms or distinct from any reported 16S rRNA gene sequences. Diversity indices suggested that diversity was highest in a moderately vegetated 210-year-old ash deposit (1790-KVD), and lowest for a 79-year-old lava flow (1921-KVD). Diversity for a 41-year-old tephra deposit (1959-KVD) and a 300-year-old rainforest (1700-KVD) reached intermediate values. The 1959-KVD and 1790-KVD communities were dominated by Acidobacteria, Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and many unclassified phylotypes. The 1921-KVD, an unvegetated low pH deposit, was dominated by unclassified phylotypes. In contrast, 1700-KVD was primarily populated by Alphaproteobacteria with very few unclassified phylotypes. Similar diversity indices and levels of trace gas flux were found for 1959-KVD and 1790-KVD; however, statistical analyses indicated significantly different communities. This study not only showed that microorganisms colonize recent volcanic deposits and are able to establish diverse communities, but also that their composition is governed by variations in local deposit parameters.

Interactions between bacterial carbon monoxide and hydrogen consumption and plant development on recent volcanic deposits

“…King (2003a) showed that microbial uptake of atmospheric CO and hydrogen accounted for a significant fraction of respiratory metabolism on volcanic deposits ranging from about 21-210 years in age, but that these processes were relatively unimportant at a 300-year-old site supporting a mature forest. Results from King (2004, 2005) and Gomez-Alvarez et al (2007) also showed that microbial community structure changed markedly along this chronosequence, with both CO oxidizers and the microbial community as a whole dominated by Proteobacteria in the forested site, while other phyla, including many unidentified lineages, dominated the remaining sites.…”

“…Sites were established near Kilauea caldera on a 1959 tephra deposit (Pu'u Puai-PP) and a 1969 lava flow (Mauna Ulu-MU), aspects of which have been previously described (King, 2003a;Dunfield and King, 2004;Nanba et al, 2004;Gomez-Alvarez et al, 2007). The PP site consists of islands of closedcanopy woody vegetation (mixed Metrosideros polymorpha (Ohia) and Morella faya (also Myrica faya or fire tree) interspersed with extensive unvegetated patches comprised of tephra (or volcanic cinders); the cinders were approximately 1 cm in diameter.…”

Characterization of Fe(II) oxidizing bacterial activities and communities at two acidic Appalachian coalmine drainage-impacted sites

“…Rather, they were affiliated with the B12 and A07 subgroups proposed by Costello and Schmidt (2006) (Figure 6). These new Chloroflexi subgroups were first observed in saturated tundra soil (Costello and Schmidt, 2006), and subsequently identified in young, acidic volcanic deposits (Gomez-Alvarez et al, 2007), and uranium-contaminated soils and sediments (Selenska-Pobell et al, 2001;Brodie et al, 2006). The lone cultured representative of the A07 group of Chloroflexi (Chloroflexi bacterium Ellin7237) is an organoheterotrophic bacterium isolated from pasture soil and is characterized by slow growth (up to 12 weeks for colony formation; Davis et al, 2005).…”

Life in the lithosphere, kinetics and the prospects for life elsewhere

“…Gomez-Alvarez et al [38] investigated microbial communities in volcanic deposits in Hawaii, USA. Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria were recovered at all sites.…”