Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Abundance and activity of microorganisms at the water-sediment interface and their effect on the carbon isotopic composition of suspended organic matter and sediments of the Kara Sea

  • Experimental Articles
  • Published:
Microbiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

At ten stations of the meridian profile in the eastern Kara Sea from the Yenisei estuary through the shallow shelf and further through the St. Anna trough, total microbial numbers (TMN) determined by direct counting, total activity of the microbial community determined by dark CO2 assimilation (DCA), and the carbon isotopic composition of organic matter in suspension and upper sediment horizons (δ13C, ‰) were investigated. Three horizons were studied in detail: (1) the near-bottom water layer (20–30 cm above the sediment); (2) the uppermost, strongly hydrated sediment horizon, further termed fluffy layer (5–10 mm); and (3) the upper sediment horizon (1–5 cm). Due to a decrease in the amount of isotopically light carbon of terrigenous origin with increasing distance from the Yenisei estuary, the TMN and DCA values decreased, and the δ13C changed gradually from −29.7 to −23.9‰. At most stations, a noticeable decrease in TMN and DCA values with depth was observed in the water column, while the carbon isotopic composition of suspended organic matter did not change significantly. Considerable changes of all parameters were detected in the interface zone: TMN and DCA increased in the sediments compared to their values in near-bottom water, while the 13C content increased significantly, with δ13C of organic matter in the sediments being at some stations 3.5–4.0‰ higher than in the near-bottom water. Due to insufficient illumination in the near-bottom zone, newly formed isotopically heavy organic matter (δ13C ∼ −20‰) could not be formed by photosynthesis; active growth of chemoautotrophic microorganisms in this zone is suggested, which may use reduced sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon compounds diffusing from anaerobic sediments. High DCA values for the interface zone samples confirm this hypothesis. Moreover, neutrophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria were retrieved from the samples of this zone.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lein, A.Yu., Rusanov, I.I., Savvichev, A.S., Pimenov, N.V., Miller, Yu.M., Pavlova, G.A., and Ivanov, M.V., Biogeochemical processes of the sulfur and carbon cycles in the Kara Sea, Geochem. Int., 1996, vol. 34, no. 11, pp. 925–941.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Savvichev, A.S., Zakharova, E.E., Veslopolova, E.F., Rusanov, I.I., Lein, A.Yu., and Ivanov, M.V., Microbial processes of the carbon and sulfur cycles in the Kara Sea, Oceanology, 2010, vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 893–908.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Ivanov, M.V., Lein, A.Yu., and Savvichev, A.S., Effect of phytoplankton and microorganisms on the isotopic composition of organic carbon in the Russian Arctic Seas, Microbiology (Moscow), 2010, vol. 79, no. 5, pp. 567–582.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Lein, A.Yu., Belyaev, N.A., Kravchishina, M.D., Savvichev, A.S., Ivanov M.V., and Lisitsyn A.P., Isotopic markers of organic matter transformation at the watersediment geochemical boundary, Dokl. Earth Sci., 2011, vol. 436, pp. 83–87.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Ivanov, M.V., Lein, A.Yu., Zakharova, E.E., and Savvichev, A.S., Carbon isotopic composition in suspended organic matter and bottom sediments of the East Arctic seas, Microbiology, 2012, vol. 81, no. 5, pp. 596–605.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Lein, A.Yu., Kravchishina, M.D., Politova, N.V., Savvichev, A.S., Veslopolova, E.F., Mitskevich, I.N., Ul’yanova, N.V., Shevchenko, V.P., and Ivanov, M.V., Transformation of particulate organic matter at the water-bottom boundary in the Russian Arctic seas: evidence from isotope and radioisotope data, Lithol. Miner. Resour., 2012, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 99–128.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Zhang, C.L., Ye, Q., Reysenbach, A.L., Götz, D., Peacock, A., White, D.C., Horita, J., Cole, D.R., Fong, J., Pratt, L., Fang, J., and Huang, Y., Carbon isotopic fractionations associated with thermophilic bacteria Thermotoga maritima and Persephonella marina, Environ. Microbiol., 2002, vol. 4, pp. 58–64.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Quandt, L., Gottschalk, G., Ziegler, H., and Stichler, W., Isotopic discrimination by photosynthetic bacteria, FEMS Microbiol Lett., 1977, vol. 1, pp. 125–128.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Sirevag, R., Buchanan, B.B., Berry, J.A., and Troughton, J.H., Mechanism of CO2 fixation in bacterial photosynthesis studied by the carbon isotope fractionation technique, Arch. Microbiol., 1977, vol. 112, pp. 35–38.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Preuss A., Schander, B.A., and Fuchs, G., Carbon isotope fractionation by autotrophic bacteria with three different CO2 fixation pathway, Z. Naturforsch., 1989, vol. 44C, pp. 397–402.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. 60-letiya Oktyabrya 7, k. 2, Moscow, 117312, Russia

    M. V. Ivanov, A. S. Savvichev, I. I. Rusanov, E. F. Veslopolova, E. E. Zakharova & T. S. Prusakova

  2. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    A. Yu. Lein

Authors
  1. M. V. Ivanov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. Yu. Lein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. S. Savvichev
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. I. I. Rusanov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. E. F. Veslopolova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. E. E. Zakharova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. T. S. Prusakova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. V. Ivanov.

Additional information

Original Russian Text © M.V. Ivanov, A.Yu. Lein, A.S. Savvichev, I.I. Rusanov, E.F. Veslopolova, E.E. Zakharova, T.S. Prusakova, 2013, published in Mikrobiologiya, 2013, Vol. 82, No. 6, pp. 723–731.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ivanov, M.V., Lein, A.Y., Savvichev, A.S. et al. Abundance and activity of microorganisms at the water-sediment interface and their effect on the carbon isotopic composition of suspended organic matter and sediments of the Kara Sea. Microbiology 82, 735–742 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261713060064

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261713060064

Keywords

Search

Navigation