Open AccessFatty acid composition and microbial activity of benthic marine sediment from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica
Author(s) -
Smith Glen A.,
Nichols Peter D.,
White David C.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1986.tb01732.x
Subject(s) - benthic zone , sound (geography) , biomass (ecology) , phospholipid , sediment , microorganism , fatty acid , diatom , chemistry , microbial population biology , environmental chemistry , sodium acetate , bacteria , biology , oceanography , botany , membrane , biochemistry , ecology , chromatography , geology , paleontology , genetics
Signature lipids from the phospholipid esterlinked fatty acids (PELFA) of cell membranes were used to describe benthic microbial communities of 4 Antarctic sediments. Metabolic activities of the communities were determined by incorporation of [ 3 H]thymidine into bacterial DNA and sodium [ 14 C]acetate into membrane lipids. Biomass measurements from extractable phospholipid fatty acids per g dry wt. ranged between 6 to 76 nmol, or when converted to number of bacteria, 3.7 × 10 8 to 4.5 × 10 9 cells per g dry wt. The West Sound site at New Harbor contained the lowest biomass, while Cape Evans on the East Sound contained the greatest. A marked difference was also noted between sites in their sediment microbial community structure. The East Sound sites at Cape Armitage and Cape Evans contained a greater abundance of diatom marker lipids, whilst both sides of the Sound contained approximately the same relative amounts of bacterial groups distinguished using PELFA. Activity of sediment microorganisms measured by radiolabel incorporation under ambient conditions followed the trends of the biomass measurements. The East Sound sites were more active by an average of 45–73% for [ 3 H]thymidine and possibly also for sodium [ 14 C]acetate.