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Cited by 100Methane Hydrates and Related PhenomenaOrigins and Evolution of LifeMicrobial Community Ecology and Physiology

Deeply-sourced formate fuels sulfate reducers but not methanogens at lost City hydrothermal field

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Lang, Susan Q., Früh-Green, Gretchen L., Bernasconi, Stefano M., Brazelton, William J., Schrenk, Matthew O., McGonigle, Julia M.·2018·Scientific Reports
DOI 10.1038/s41598-017-19002-5PMC PMC5768773
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Abstract

Abstract Hydrogen produced during water-rock serpentinization reactions can drive the synthesis of organic compounds both biotically and abiotically. We investigated abiotic carbon production and microbial metabolic pathways at the high energy but low diversity serpentinite-hosted Lost City hydrothermal field. Compound-specific 14 C data demonstrates that formate is mantle-derived and abiotic in some locations and has an additional, seawater-derived component in others. Lipids produced by the dominant member of the archaeal community, the Lost City Methanosarcinales, largely lack 14 C, but metagenomic evidence suggests they cannot use formate for methanogenesis. Instead, sulfate-reducing bacteria may be the primary consumers of formate in Lost City chimneys. Paradoxically, the archaeal phylotype that numerically dominates the chimney microbial communities appears ill suited to live in pure hydrothermal fluids without the co-occurrence of organisms that can liberate CO 2 . Considering the lack of dissolved inorganic carbon in such systems, the ability to utilize formate may be a key trait for survival in pristine serpentinite-hosted environments.

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  • All indications are that formate based primary production is taking place at the submarine system of Lost City and in some terrestrial serpentinizing systems including the Oman ophiolite, the Cedars, Hakuba Happo and Prony Bay, because there is no other carbon source reported to fuel primary production in these systems.

    “All indications are that formate based primary production is taking place at the submarine system of Lost City (Lang et al., 2018) and in some terrestrial serpentinizing systems including the Oman ophiolite (Colman et al., 2022), the Cedars (Suzuki et al., 2018), at Hakuba Happo (Nobu et al., 2023) and in the Prony Bay system, a freshwater fed submarine serpentinizing system that vents in seawater”

    From Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life (2023) · cites this paper as Lang et al., 2018

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  • Formate of abiotic origin is a very common solute in the effluent of serpentinizing systems, continuously present in micromolar concentrations.

    “with the result that formate of abiotic origin is a very common solute in the effluent of serpentinizing systems (Lang et al., 2010, 2018), continuously present in micromolar concentrations.”

    From Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life (2023) · cites this paper as Lang et al., 2018

    The Introduction says serpentinization fluids contain formate and reports 36–158 µM in Lost City fluids. The Results and Discussion identify an abiotic component there. The paper does not establish that abiotic formate is continuously present at micromolar concentrations across serpentinizing systems generally. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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  • Sulfur is highly volatile in various oxidation states and readily eluted from rocks as H2S or HS- during serpentinization, but sulfate is also a common constituent of effluent and sulfate reducers are very common in serpentinizing systems.

    “It is highly volatile in various oxidation states and readily eluted from rocks as H2S or HS– during serpentinization, but sulfate is also a common constituent of effluent and sulfate reducers are very common in serpentinizing systems (Reveillaud et al., 2016; Lang et al., 2018).”

    From Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life (2023) · cites this paper as Lang et al., 2018

    The Introduction (page unavailable) says Lost City endmember fluids contain 1–4 mM sulfate and identifies microbial sulfate reduction as an important subsurface process. It does not establish that sulfur is highly volatile or eluted from rocks as H2S or HS− during serpentinization, nor that sulfate reducers are very common across serpentinizing systems. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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References 70 · Cited by 100

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Authors
Lang, S. Q., Früh-Green, G. L., Bernasconi, S. M., Brazelton, W. J., Schrenk, M. O., & McGonigle, J. M.
Affiliations
  • University of South Carolina (US)
  • ETH Zurich (CH)
  • University of Utah (US)
  • Michigan State University (US)
Corresponding author
Lang, Susan Q.
ORCID
Venue
Scientific Reports
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2018-01-15
Volume
8
Issue
1
Pages
755-755
ISSN
2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/s41598-017-19002-5
PMC
PMC5768773
OpenAlex
W2782766996
Cited by
100
References
70
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 10
FWCI
7.32
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Scholar Commons (University of South Carolina) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • ETH Zürich Research Collection (cc-by)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (200020, 1536405, 0137206)
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (143891, 131922, 156702, 200020)
  • NASA Astrobiology Institute
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
Keywords
formate, sulfate-reducing bacteria, methanogenic archaea, Lost City hydrothermal field, serpentinization, compound-specific radiocarbon, archaeal lipids, hydrothermal chimneys, microbial metabolic pathways, dissolved inorganic carbon
MeSH terms
Archaea, Bacteria, Carbon Radioisotopes, Energy Metabolism, Formates, Methane, Oxidation-Reduction, Sulfates, Hydrothermal Vents

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