The rise and fall of methanotrophy following a deepwater oil-well blowout

Crespo‐Medina, Melitza; Meile, Christof; Hunter, Kimberley S.; Diercks, Arne R.; Asper, Vernon; Orphan, Victoria J.; Tavormina, Patricia L.; Nigro, Lisa M.; Battles, J. J.; Chanton, Jeffrey P.; Shiller, Alan M.; Joung, DongJoo; Amon, Rainer M. W.; Bracco, Annalisa; Montoya, Joseph P.; Villareal, Tracy A.; Wood, A. Michelle; Joye, Samantha B.

doi:10.1038/ngeo2156

Cited by 102 publications

(126 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Vials were immediately sealed with butyl rubber septa free of bubbles that were secured with a screw cap; samples were stored at 4°C until tracer injection (usually within 12-36 h). In some cases, storage for longer periods of time before rate determination was required (for example, on cruises lacking a radioisotope isolation van); we found that storage for up to several weeks did not alter methane oxidation rates (see Addendum to Crespo-Medina et al 2014). A 100 μl aliquot of C 3 H 4 -tracer solution was injected into each sample through the butyl septa using a gas-tight syringe, yielding a tracer activity of~75 000 d.p.m.…”

Section: Methane Oxidation Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For quantification of methane or short-chain alkanes (ethane, propane, butane and pentane), gases were recovered via either head space extraction (R/Vs Pelican, Walton Smith cruises) or from a 750 ml water sample using vacuum sonication (all other cruises) (Crespo-Medina et al, 2014). The volume of recovered gas was recorded and the gas sample was transferred quantitatively to a serum vial; alkanes were later quantified using gas chromatography.…”

Section: Geochemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Methane oxidation rates were measured using a tritiated ( 3 H) CH 4 -radiotracer technique (Carini et al, 2005, Crespo-Medina et al 2014. For each depth sampled, seawater samples (triplicate (n = 3) live samples and one killed control) were collected with Tygon-tubing attached to a syringe and filled, bottom to top, without air-bubbles into 7 ml glass scintillation vials allowing overflowing of the sample, to fill the vial without headspace.…”

Section: Methane Oxidation Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In situ observations and laboratory findings signal that these bacteria played key roles in the biodegradation of oil in the plume. Compositional changes in hydrocarbon abundance implied preferential microbial utilization of oil-derived short-chain and higher-molecular weight alkanes (Valentine et al, 2010;Kessler et al, 2011b), whereas local dissolved oxygen anomalies Kessler et al, 2011a, b) indicated extensive aerobic alkane respiration (Valentine et al, 2010;Crespo-Medina et al, 2014). Furthermore, stable-isotope probing and single-cell genomics identified microbial populations involved in hydrocarbon degradation or enrichment of metabolic genes that orchestrate hydrocarbon degradation in the plume, with Colwellia likely oxidizing ethane and propane (Redmond and Valentine, 2012), Oceanospirillum degrading cyclohexane and Cycloclasticus utilizing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) (Yakimov et al, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diverse, rare microbial taxa responded to the Deepwater Horizon deep-sea hydrocarbon plume

et al. 2015

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The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil well blowout generated an enormous plume of dispersed hydrocarbons that substantially altered the Gulf of Mexico's deep-sea microbial community. A significant enrichment of distinct microbial populations was observed, yet, little is known about the abundance and richness of specific microbial ecotypes involved in gas, oil and dispersant biodegradation in the wake of oil spills. Here, we document a previously unrecognized diversity of closely related taxa affiliating with Cycloclasticus, Colwellia and Oceanospirillaceae and describe their spatio-temporal distribution in the Gulf's deepwater, in close proximity to the discharge site and at increasing distance from it, before, during and after the discharge. A highly sensitive, computational method (oligotyping) applied to a data set generated from 454-tag pyrosequencing of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene V4-V6 regions, enabled the detection of population dynamics at the sub-operational taxonomic unit level (0.2% sequence similarity). The biogeochemical signature of the deep-sea samples was assessed via total cell counts, concentrations of short-chain alkanes (C 1 -C 5 ), nutrients, (colored) dissolved organic and inorganic carbon, as well as methane oxidation rates. Statistical analysis elucidated environmental factors that shaped ecologically relevant dynamics of oligotypes, which likely represent distinct ecotypes. Major hydrocarbon degraders, adapted to the slow-diffusive natural hydrocarbon seepage in the Gulf of Mexico, appeared unable to cope with the conditions encountered during the DWH spill or were outcompeted. In contrast, diverse, rare taxa increased rapidly in abundance, underscoring the importance of specialized subpopulations and potential ecotypes during massive deep-sea oil discharges and perhaps other large-scale perturbations.

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Section: Methane Oxidation Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geochemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methane Oxidation Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diverse, rare microbial taxa responded to the Deepwater Horizon deep-sea hydrocarbon plume

et al. 2015

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“…Recent studies in the water column surrounding hydrocarbon seeps indicated an elevated abundance of methanotrophic microorganism in the near field of gas bubble plumes (Schubert et al, 2006). The enhanced methane concentration in the seep-affected water column stimulates the activity of methane oxidizers (Valentine et al, 2001) and might lead to a rise in the abundance of methaneoxidizing microbes in the aging plume water as was shown by Crespo-Medina et al (2014) in the Deepwater Horizon plume and by de Angelis et al (1993) in an aged hydrothermal plume.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bubble Transport Mechanism: Indications for a gas bubble-mediated inoculation of benthic methanotrophs into the water column

Schmale

Leifer

Deimling

et al. 2015

Continental Shelf Research

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The interaction of climate change and methane hydrates

Ruppel

Kessler

2017

Reviews of Geophysics

614

554

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Gas hydrate, a frozen, naturally‐occurring, and highly‐concentrated form of methane, sequesters significant carbon in the global system and is stable only over a range of low‐temperature and moderate‐pressure conditions. Gas hydrate is widespread in the sediments of marine continental margins and permafrost areas, locations where ocean and atmospheric warming may perturb the hydrate stability field and lead to release of the sequestered methane into the overlying sediments and soils. Methane and methane‐derived carbon that escape from sediments and soils and reach the atmosphere could exacerbate greenhouse warming. The synergy between warming climate and gas hydrate dissociation feeds a popular perception that global warming could drive catastrophic methane releases from the contemporary gas hydrate reservoir. Appropriate evaluation of the two sides of the climate‐methane hydrate synergy requires assessing direct and indirect observational data related to gas hydrate dissociation phenomena and numerical models that track the interaction of gas hydrates/methane with the ocean and/or atmosphere. Methane hydrate is likely undergoing dissociation now on global upper continental slopes and on continental shelves that ring the Arctic Ocean. Many factors—the depth of the gas hydrates in sediments, strong sediment and water column sinks, and the inability of bubbles emitted at the seafloor to deliver methane to the sea‐air interface in most cases—mitigate the impact of gas hydrate dissociation on atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations though. There is no conclusive proof that hydrate‐derived methane is reaching the atmosphere now, but more observational data and improved numerical models will better characterize the climate‐hydrate synergy in the future.

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The rise and fall of methanotrophy following a deepwater oil-well blowout

Cited by 102 publications

References 31 publications

Diverse, rare microbial taxa responded to the Deepwater Horizon deep-sea hydrocarbon plume

Diverse, rare microbial taxa responded to the Deepwater Horizon deep-sea hydrocarbon plume

Bubble Transport Mechanism: Indications for a gas bubble-mediated inoculation of benthic methanotrophs into the water column

The interaction of climate change and methane hydrates

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