Abstract
The factors controlling the relative abundances of Archaea and Bacteria in marine sediments are poorly understood. We determined depth distributions of archaeal and bacterial 16S rRNA genes by quantitative PCR at eight stations in Aarhus Bay, Denmark. Bacterial outnumber archaeal genes 10–60-fold in uppermost sediments that are irrigated and mixed by macrofauna. This bioturbation is indicated by visual observations of sediment color and faunal tracks, by porewater profiles of dissolved inorganic carbon and sulfate, and by distributions of unsupported 210Pb and 137Cs. Below the depth of bioturbation, the relative abundances of archaeal genes increase, accounting for one third of 16S rRNA genes in the sulfate zone, and half of 16S rRNA genes in the sulfate-methane transition zone and methane zone. Phylogenetic analyses reveal a strong shift in bacterial and archaeal community structure from bioturbated sediments to underlying layers. Stable isotopic analyses on organic matter and porewater geochemical gradients suggest that macrofauna mediate bacterial dominance and affect microbial community structure in bioturbated sediment by introducing fresh organic matter and high-energy electron acceptors from overlying seawater. Below the zone of bioturbation, organic matter content and the presence of sulfate exert key influences on bacterial and archaeal abundances and overall microbial community structure.
Highlights
Archaeal and bacterial populations in marine sediments account for a significant fraction of global living biomass[1, 2]
Bacterial decreases in 16S gene abundances are slightly steeper than those for Archaea, as is evident from mean Bacteria-to-Archaea Ratios (BAR) of ~2:1 at 20 cm depth which gradually decrease to ~1:1 at 3 mbsf
These overall trends are consistent throughout the Holocene mud layers across all stations, and suggest that the biggest changes in BARs occur within a small, uppermost part of the sulfate reduction zone, and are not driven by sulfate concentrations, or the presence of free methane gas (Supplementary Table 1)
Summary
Archaeal and bacterial populations in marine sediments account for a significant fraction of global living biomass[1, 2]. Members of both domains drive globally important biogeochemical processes, e.g. Archaea perform methanogenesis and Bacteria perform sulfate reduction. Despite uncertainties associated with each quantification method, almost all studies suggest that both archaeal and bacterial abundances decrease with depth in marine sediments[7,8,9,10,11,12, 14, 15]. Reasons for the dominance of Bacteria in surface sediments are not known, but vertical changes in relative abundances might provide clues. Variations in the depth of the sulfate-methane transition zone (SMTZ) and the presence of free methane gas between stations allowed us to investigate links between archaeal and bacterial abundance and the distribution of sulfate reducing and methanogenic activity and free methane gas
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