Bacterial community in deep subseafloor sediments from the western Pacific “warm pool”

Abstract

The bacterial community in deep subseafloor sediments at a depth of 230 cm from the western Pacific “warm pool” is studied by construction of 16S rDNA clone library and PCR-RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) analysis. The results indicate that the bacterial community in these sediments is mainly composed of five groups: α-Proteobacteria, β-Proteobacteria, CFB group (Cytophaga / Flexibacteria / Bacteroides), Acidobacteria and gram positive bacteria, with a few genera detected in each group. The most abundant bacteria group is α-Proteobacteria, and the next is β-Proteobacteria. The dominant species in α-and β-Proteobacteria are Sphingomonas paucimobilis and Pseudomonas alcaligenes respectively. The CFB group is simply composed of members belonging to Flavobacterium. The gram positive bacteria are rich, and mainly consists of the genus Geobacillus. The analysis of bacterial community indicates that organic matter is still abundant in the subseafloor sediments at the depth of 230 cm in the western Pacific “warm pool”. These bacteria in this deep biosphere may play an important role in the nitrogen cycle of deep sea sediments at “warm pool”.