P^I"~ SUBMITTED to the DEPARTMENT of L \IL.~D EARTH, ATMOSPHERIC and PLANETARY SCIENCES in PARTIAL FULFILLMENT of the REQUIREMENTS for the DEGREE OF
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Molecular studies of the sources and significance of archaeal lipids in the oceans by Sara Ann Lincoln MIA IsJ:S' iNSTITUTE B.S. Geosciences B.S. Geological Oceanography L T University of Rhode Island (2006) P^I"~ SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF L \IL.~d EARTH, ATMOSPHERIC AND PLANETARY SCIENCES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN GEOCHEMISTRY SEPTEMBER 2013 © Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. Author:................. Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences Certified by:........................... Roger E. Summons Professor of Geobiology Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences Thesis supervisor ..................#......r....... ........................................................ Edward F. DeLong Morton and Claire Goulder amily P fessor in Environmental Systems Depar e Civil and Environmental Engineering 7) Thesis supervisor Accepted by: ...................................... Robert van der Hilst Schlumberger Professor of Earth Sciences Head, Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Molecular studies of the sources and significance of archaeal lipids in the oceans by Sara Ann Lincoln Submitted to the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences on July 29, 2013 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geochemistry ABSTRACT Marine archaea are ubiquitous and abundant in the modem oceans and have a geologic record extending >100 million years. However, factors influencing the populations of the major clades - chemolithoautotrophic Marine Group I Thaumarchaeota (MG-I) and heterotrophic Marine Group II Euryarchaeota (MG-II) - and their membrane lipid signatures are not well understood. Here, I paired techniques of organic geochemistry and molecular biology to explore the sources and significance of archaeal tetraether lipids in the marine water column. Using metagenomics, 16S rDNA pyrosequencing, QPCR and mass spectrometric analyses, I found that uncultivated MG-IL Euryarchaeota synthesize glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) lipids - including crenarchaeol, previously thought limited to autotrophic Thaumarchaeota. This finding has important implications for paleoenvironmental proxies reliant upon GDGTs. To investigate the effects of organic matter and bicarbonate + ammonia amendments on archaeal tetraether lipids and microbial community composition, I conducted large scale microcosm experiments. Experimental conditions did not promote the overall growth of archaea, but several changes in tetraether lipid abundance and relative ring distribution suggest that future incubation labeling studies using whole seawater may be valuable in probing the metabolism of individual archaeal clades in mixed populations. A rapid decrease in GDGT concentrations was observed within the first 44 h of the experiment, suggesting that the residence time of these compounds in the open ocean may be short. Changes in functional gene representation and microbial community composition over the course of the experiment provide potential insight into mechanisms of copiotrophy and the identity of bacteria that may degrade GDGTs. Finally, I present the results of a study of the sources and patterns of bacterial and archaeal GDGTs detected in the Lost City Hydrothermal Vent Field. Branched GDGTs, generally considered markers of terrestrial input to marine sediments, were detected in carbonate chimneys of this alkaline site near the mid-Atlantic Ridge. A relatively 3 uncommon H-shaped GDGT was also present, and appears to be a marker of hydrothermal archaeal input rather than a mesophilic euryarchaeotal signal. Taken together, the work presented in this thesis emphasizes the necessity of understanding the biological underpinnings of archaeal lipids in the environment, increasingly used as biomarkers in microbial ecology and paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Thesis Supervisors: Roger E. Summons Professor of Geobiology Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences Edward F. DeLong Morton and Claire Goulder Family Professor in Environmental Systems Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering 4 Acknowledgments I have immense gratitude for the many people who have supported the work represented in this thesis. Most of all, I am indebted to my advisors, Roger Summons and Ed DeLong, for their generosity, patience and good humor throughout this journey. I also appreciate the enthusiastic support and insight that my committee members Mick Follows and Edward Boyle have shown for my thesis research. When I first started talking to Roger about potential graduate studies he had the wonderful idea of introducing me to Ed. Though I had little background in organic geochemistry, they seemed inexplicably excited to take me on as a student and to let me work in a second area - marine microbiology - in which I had even less experience. Their leap of faith has proved very rewarding for me, and I'll be forever grateful that they took it. It would be an honor to work with one scientist of their caliber, but it has been my good fortune to work with two. I am deeply inspired by their passionate dedication to answering fundamental questions about how microbial life drives and shapes our planet. Trying to bridge disciplines can be, at turns, exhilarating, frustrating, and terrifying - like most experiences that help people grow. Roger and Ed have patiently helped me through a few iterations of each of those stages while guiding my thesis research and fostering my development as a scientist. I have also benefitted from time spent with the outstanding groups of researchers that both Ed and Roger have drawn together in their labs. Learning the once foreign languages of mass spectrometry and metagenomics would have been impossible - and far less fun - without them. In the DeLong lab I was especially lucky to work with John Eppley, Tracy Mincer, Jay McCarren, Frank Stewart, Jess Bryant, Julie Maresca and Chon Martinez, all of whom graciously answered the sometimes stupid questions of a newcomer to the field without disdain, and were always generous with their time. Similarly, Alex Bradley, Gordon Love, Amy Kelly, Lindsay Hays and Laura Sherman quickly and cheerfully eased the steepness of the organic geochemistry learning curve for me in my early days in the Summons lab. Florence Schubotz has been an invaluable source of LCMS wisdom in the last few years. At MIT I have been given the opportunity and freedom to explore the exciting interface between geochemistry and environmental microbiology. When at a loss to explain what I do in just one word, as hyphens and prefixes (bio-geo-eco-oceano- meta-chem-microbio ... ologist?) run through my head, I recall what Maria Zuber told my entering class during orientation: "Nature doesn't care what you call yourself; just follow the interesting questions." That spirit infuses groundbreaking 5 interdisciplinary research across EAPS and, especially, in the E25 geobiology community. It was wonderful to witness it grow and flourish, especially with the arrival of Tanja Bosak and Shuhei Ono. I have appreciated both the discussions I have had with them and their lab members and the ready access they granted me to their labs. Many times their centrifuge/plate reader/flowhood/balance/lysozyme etc. saved the day! Rick Kayser in the Boyle lab has also been a great resource. EAPS also has great administrative staff, without whom I would have been lost. Many thanks to Vicki McKenna, Carol Sprague, Jacqui Taylor and Allison Provaire in the Green Building. In E25 Alla Skorokhod, Mary Eliff and Lesly Adkins- Shellie guided me through paperwork and shipping emergencies, and offered me candy, sympathy and advice on many occasions. I spent a lot of time in my first few years in Woods Hole and am grateful to have had the opportunity to work closely with Joan Bernhard, Dan McCorkle and Helena Filipsson there. Helen Fredricks, Melissa Soule and Sean Sylva were cheerful and invaluable fonts of technical wisdom in Fye. I miss the meals, beers and rants shared with WHOI friends, especially James Saenz, Laura Hmelo, Dave Griffith, Maya Bhatia, Eoghan Reeves, and Fern Gibbons. Thanks especially to Fern and Maya for letting me stay with you so often! Oceanography is inherently collaborative. I participated in six research cruises during my Ph.D. and none of the work presented here would have been possible without the expertise, support and friendship of the many people with whom I have gone to sea. I was lucky to work with DeLong labmates Jess Bryant, Liz Ottesen, Frank Stewart, Jay McCarren, and Adrian Sharma in the field, but am also indebted to a large cast of collaborators, support scientists and crew, especially: Stefan Sievert, Osvaldo Ulloa, Gadiel Alarcon, Alejandra Prieto-Davo, Sam Wilson, Julie Robidart, Tara Clemente, Blake Watkins, and Cesar Hormazabal Fritz. My time at C-MORE Hale in Manoa was productive, and I appreciate the access that David Karl and the other scientists gave me to their labs and resources. More generally, I have benefitted greatly from participation in the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE), and it has been great to see how science operates at that scale. I am thankful to both C-MORE and the Agouron Institute for funding my thesis research through grants to Ed and Roger. Other funding that made this work possible came from the Linden Earth System Fellowship, the Martin Family