Open AccessHydrocarbon‐related microbial processes in the deep sediments of the Eastern Mediterranean Levantine Basin
Author(s) -
RubinBlum Maxim,
Antler Gilad,
Turchyn Alexandra V.,
Tsadok Rami,
GoodmanTchernov Beverly N.,
Shemesh Eli,
Austin James A.,
Coleman Dwight F.,
Makovsky Yizhaq,
Sivan Orit,
Tchernov Dan
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/1574-6941.12264
Subject(s) - methane , anaerobic oxidation of methane , sediment , sulfate , hydrocarbon , environmental chemistry , mediterranean sea , geology , mediterranean climate , oceanography , ecology , biology , chemistry , paleontology , organic chemistry
During the 2011 exploration season of the EV Nautilus in the Mediterranean Sea, we conducted a multidisciplinary study, aimed at exploring the microbial populations below the sediment–water interface ( SWI ) in the hydrocarbon‐rich environments of the Levantine basin. Two c . 1000‐m‐deep locations were sampled: sediments fueled by methane seepage at the toe of the Palmachim disturbance and a patch of euxinic sediment with high sulfide and methane content offshore Acre, enriched by hydrocarbon from an unknown source. We describe the composition of the microbial population in the top 5 cm of the sediment with 1 cm resolution, accompanied by measurements of methane and sulfate concentrations, and the isotopic composition of this methane and sulfate (δ 13 C CH 4 , δ 18 O SO 4 , and δ 34 S SO 4 ). Our geochemical and microbiological results indicate the presence of the anaerobic methane oxidation ( AOM ) coupled to bacterial sulfate reduction ( BSR ). We show that complex methane and sulfur metabolizing microbial populations are present in both locations, although their community structure and metabolic preferences differ due to potential variation in the hydrocarbon source.