Geysers

Wang, Chi‐Yuen; Manga, M.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-64308-9_10

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 38 publications

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“…All hot springs require a source of water, heat, and a permeable rock stratum overlying the heat source ( 3 ). An additional requirement to form a geyser is a plumbing system that has an appropriate structure to permit periodic fluid discharge ( 4 , 5 ). Most geyser fields are hosted in rhyolitic volcanic terrains at high elevation that receive increased precipitation ( 4 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An active microbiome in Old Faithful geyser

2023

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Natural thermal geysers are hot springs that periodically erupt liquid water, steam, and gas. They are found in only a few locations worldwide, with nearly half located in Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Old Faithful Geyser (OFG) is the most iconic in YNP and attracts millions of visitors annually. Despite extensive geophysical and hydrological study of geysers, including OFG, far less is known of the microbiology of geysed waters. Here, we report geochemical and microbiological data from geysed vent water and vent water that collects in a splash pool adjacent to OFG during eruptions. Both waters contained microbial cells and radiotracer studies showed they fixed carbon dioxide (CO2) when incubated at 70°C and 90°C. Shorter lag times in CO2 fixation activity were observed in vent and splash pool waters incubated at 90°C than 70°C, suggesting cells are better adapted or acclimated to temperatures like those in the OFG vent (∼92-93°C). 16S rDNA and metagenomic sequence data indicated that both communities are dominated by Thermocrinis, which likely fuels productivity through the aerobic oxidation of sulfide/thiosulfate in erupted waters or steam. Dominant OFG populations, including Thermocrinis and subdominant Thermus and Pyrobaculum strains, exhibited high strain level genomic diversity (putative ecotypes) relative to populations from non-geysing YNP hot springs that is attributed to the temporal chemical and temperature dynamics caused by eruptions. These findings show that OFG is habitable and that its eruption dynamics promote genomic diversity, while highlighting the need to further research the extent of life in geyser systems such as OFG.

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