Hidden in plain sight: discovery of sheath-forming, iron-oxidizing Zetaproteobacteria at Loihi Seamount, Hawaii, USA
Open accessAbstract
Lithotrophic iron-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) form microbial mats at focused flow or diffuse flow vents in deep-sea hydrothermal systems where Fe(II) is a dominant electron donor. These mats composed of biogenically formed Fe(III)-oxyhydroxides include twisted stalks and tubular sheaths, with sheaths typically composing a minor component of bulk mats. The micron diameter Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide-containing tubular sheaths bear a strong resemblance to sheaths formed by the freshwater FeOB, Leptothrix ochracea. We discovered that veil-like surface layers present in iron-mats at the Loihi Seamount were dominated by sheaths (40-60% of total morphotypes present) compared with deeper (> 1 cm) mat samples (0-16% sheath). By light microscopy, these sheaths appeared nearly identical to those of L. ochracea. Clone libraries of the SSU rRNA gene from this top layer were dominated by Zetaproteobacteria, and lacked phylotypes related to L. ochracea. In mats with similar morphologies, terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) data along with quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) analyses using a Zetaproteobacteria-specific primer confirmed the presence and abundance of Zetaproteobacteria. A Zetaproteobacteria fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) probe hybridized to ensheathed cells (4% of total cells), while a L. ochracea-specific probe and a Betaproteobacteria probe did not. Together, these results constitute the discovery of a novel group of marine sheath-forming FeOB bearing a striking morphological similarity to L. ochracea, but belonging to an entirely different class of Proteobacteria.
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Zetaproteobacteria are often described as ecosystem engineers due to their capacity to shape the local environment by producing iron oxyhydroxide sheaths and stalks.
“They are often described as ecosystem engineers due to their capacity to shape the local environment by producing iron oxyhydroxide sheaths and stalks (Chan et al., 2011; Fleming et al., 2013; Scott et al., 2015).”
From Is It First the Egg or the Shrimp? – Diversity and Variation in Microbial Communities Colonizing Broods of the Vent Shrimp Rimicaris exoculata During Embryonic Development (2019) · cites this paper as Fleming et al., 2013
The Discussion reports that Zetaproteobacteria produce Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide sheaths and that extensive sheath production helps form substantial mats. The Introduction also describes stalk production by related marine iron oxidizers. The paper does not establish that Zetaproteobacteria are often called “ecosystem engineers,” and it presents stabilization of the local boundary layer as a possibility rather than a demonstrated effect. (LLM, conf=0.82)
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- Authors
- Fleming, E. J., Davis, R. E., McAllister, S. M., Chan, C. S., Moyer, C. L., Tebo, B. M., & Emerson, D.
- Affiliations
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences (US)
- Oregon Health & Science University (US)
- Western Washington University (US)
- University of Delaware (US)
- Corresponding author
- Emerson, David
- ORCID
- Venue
- FEMS Microbiology Ecology
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2013-04-15
- Volume
- 85
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 116-127
- ISSN
- 0168-6496 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1978079527
- Cited by
- 72
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 3
- FWCI
- 9.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- FEMS Microbiology Ecology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation (0348734, 0348330, 0348668, 0742010)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Bentham-Moxon Trust
- Office of Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Metal Extraction and Bioleaching
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geochemistry and Petrology › Geochemistry and Elemental Analysis
- Keywords
- Zetaproteobacteria, iron-oxidizing bacteria, Leptothrix ochracea, microbial mats, hydrothermal vents, Loihi Seamount, Fe(III) oxyhydroxides, lithotrophic bacteria, marine microbial mats
- MeSH terms
- Ferric Compounds, Hawaii, Iron, Oxidation-Reduction, Seawater, In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence, Genes, rRNA, Proteobacteria, Leptothrix
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