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Bacterial activity in hydrogenetic ferromanganese crust from the Indian Ocean: a combined geochemical, experimental and pyrosequencing study

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Abstract

The Afanasiy-Nikitin Seamount (ANS) in the Equatorial Indian Ocean harbors hydrogenetic ferromanganese (Fe–Mn) crusts. It was hypothesized that the bacteria associated with the crust catalyze the precipitation of metal hydroxides in seawater more than abiotic dissolution, contributing to hydrogenetic accretion on the seamount. To test this hypothesis, Fe–Mn crust samples were collected from the flanks of the ANS. Geochemical properties of water samples collected were analyzed, and simulatory laboratory experiments were conducted to quantify bacterial accretion rates. Pyrosequencing was used to delineate the community associated with the crust. The environmental parameters of the water column indicated significant differences (p < 0.001) between a seamount and a non-seamount site. Experiments on Fe–Mn crust under near in situ temperature (4 ± 2 °C) and pressure (20 MPa) conditions showed significantly (p < 0.001) higher biotic immobilization than abiotic immobilization for Fe and Co. The sequence of immobilization was Fe (9.34) > Mn (0.63) > Ni (0.003) > Co (0.002 mg g−1) with added glucose (0.01%) and Fe (9.09) > Mn (0.87) > Ni (0.0043) > Co (0.0008 mg g−1) without added glucose. Unlike the hydrothermal vent sites of the Pacific where ε- and ζ-Proteobacteria were reported to be dominant, the hydrogenetic Fe–Mn crusts of the ANS revealed sequences related to known Fe-, Mn- and S-oxidizing bacteria of the γ- and α-Proteobacterial groups. Thus, the different selective pressures in the two environments could be one of the factors that have brought about a difference in their bacterial diversity. Besides, the ambient nutrient levels could have triggered the participation of the Proteobacterial community of the ANS in the precipitation of Fe–Mn rich minerals.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Director, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, for providing the required facilities to conduct this research work. The pyrosequencing of DNA was carried out through the Cooperative Run programme under the aegis of ICOMM. The authors record their thankfulness to Dr. Sogin, Dr. Zettler and their team. The study was carried out under the project “Preliminary exploration of cobalt-rich seamount crusts in the northern Indian Ocean” funded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. Facilitation onboard by the shipboard scientific party and crew of Akademik Akademik Boris Petrov (2009) is acknowledged. SPP thanks the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, India, for the award of Senior Research Fellowship. This manuscript has NIO contribution number 5996.

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  1. National Institute of Oceanography, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dona Paula, Goa, 403 004, India

    P. P. Sujith, Maria Judith B. D. Gonsalves, Sneha Bhonsle, Shagufta Shaikh & P. A. LokaBharathi

  2. Saudi Geophysical Consulting Office, Karawan Towers, Al Khobar, 31952, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    P. P. Sujith

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Correspondence to Maria Judith B. D. Gonsalves.

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Sujith, P.P., Gonsalves, M.J.B.D., Bhonsle, S. et al. Bacterial activity in hydrogenetic ferromanganese crust from the Indian Ocean: a combined geochemical, experimental and pyrosequencing study. Environ Earth Sci 76, 191 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-017-6495-y

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