Natural and Lignocellulose-Enriched Microbial Communities in Great Boiling Spring, NV
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UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 12-2012 Natural and Lignocellulose-Enriched Microbial Communities in Great Boiling Spring, NV Jessica Cole University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Bacteriology Commons, Biology Commons, and the Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology Commons Repository Citation Cole, Jessica, "Natural and Lignocellulose-Enriched Microbial Communities in Great Boiling Spring, NV" (2012). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 1518. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/4301608 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. NATURAL AND LIGNOCELLULOSE-ENRICHED MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES IN GREAT BOILING SPRING, NV by Jessica K. Cole Bachelor of Science in Biology University of Nevada - Las Vegas 2010 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science in Biological Sciences School of Life Sciences College of Sciences The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas December 2012 Copyright by Jessica K. Cole, 2012 All Rights Reserved THE GRADUATE COLLEGE We recommend the thesis prepared under our supervision by Jessica Cole entitled Natural and Lignocellulose-Enriched Microbial Communities in Great Boiling Spring, NV be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Biological Sciences School of Life Sciences Brian Hedlund, Ph.D., Committee Chair Helen Wing Ph.D., Committee Member Eduardo Robleto, Ph.D., Committee Member Ernesto Abel-Santos, Ph.D., Graduate College Representative Tom Piechota, Ph.D., Interim Vice President for Research & Dean of the Graduate College December 2012 ii ABSTRACT Natural and Lignocellulose-Enriched Microbial Communities in Great Boiling Spring, NV by Jessica K. Cole Dr. Brian Hedlund, Committee Chair Professor of Biology University of Nevada, Las Vegas The natural microbial communities present in Great Boiling Spring were investigated and contrasted against those present after in situ enrichment with lignocellulose. High-throughput cultivation-independent DNA sequencing of the V8 region of the small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene generated a total of 274,119 quality-filtered pyrosequencing fragments. Twelve natural spring samples were analyzed, including four high-temperature water samples and eight sediment samples ranging from 87 - 62 °C. Eight lignocellulosic enrichments incubated in the spring sediment and water at two high- temperature sites were analyzed. The natural water communities were found to be extremely uneven but relatively constant throughout time. The natural sediment communities clustered based according to sample temperature and location. This study demonstrates the strong influence of temperature on microbial diversity and composition of both natural and enriched samples, with a negative correlation between temperature and richness. A thermophilic and cellulolytic bacterium was isolated from one of the lignocellulosic enrichments. It was aerobic and able to utilize a wide variety of substrates as sole carbon and energy sources, including both amorphous and crystalline cellulose. iii The results of phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic, and morphological analyses determined the strain to be representative of a new order-level lineage within the class "Chloroflexi". iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Brian Hedlund for giving me the opportunity to perform such interesting research. I appreciate the guidance and advice he provided throughout the years I spent working in his laboratory. Also, I owe much to David and Sandy Jamieson, who generously allowed access to Great Boiling Spring, making my research possible. My committee members, Drs. Eduardo Robleto, Helen Wing, and Ernesto Abel- Santos, deserve substantial thanks for the consideration and recommendations that they provided. I must thank everyone who provided feedback during my presentations, and Keala Kiko and Nicholle Booker for essential administrative support. My fellow laboratory members were responsible for improving many aspects of my projects and publications with their support and advice. Some of these people include Tara Edwards, Mandy Williams, Jeremy Dodsworth, Joseph Peacock, Brandon Gieler, and Senthil Murugapiran. It was a great pleasure to work with each and every one of you. Thank you. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ v LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................ x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2 SEDIMENT MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES IN GREAT BOILING SPRING ARE CONTROLLED BY TEMPERATURE AND DISTINCT FROM WATER COMMUNITIES ...................................... 4 Abstract ......................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 5 Methods......................................................................................................................... 8 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................... 14 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 22 CHAPTER 3 PYROSEQUENCING ANALYSIS OF HIGH-TEMPERATURE CELLULOLYTIC MICROBIAL CONSORTIA DEVELOPED IN GREAT BOILING SPRING AFTER IN SITU LIGNOCELLULOSE ENRICHMENT ..................................................................................... 32 Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 32 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 32 Methods....................................................................................................................... 36 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................... 43 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 58 CHAPTER 4 KALLOTENUE PAPYROLYTICUM GEN. NOV., SP. NOV., A CELLULOLYTIC AND FILAMENTOUS THERMOPHILE ISOLATED FROM GREAT BOILING SPRING THAT REPRESENTS A NOVEL LINEAGE (KALLOTENUACEAE ORD. NOV., KALLOTENUALES FAM. NOV.) WITHIN THE CLASS CHLOROFLEXI .................................................................................... 66 Abstract ....................................................................................................................... 66 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 67 Methods....................................................................................................................... 67 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................... 73 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 75 CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................... 82 APPENDIX A ADDITIONAL TABLES ...................................................................... 85 APPENDIX B ADDITIONAL FIGURES................................................................... 101 APPENDIX C EXCEL FILE CONTAINING ALPHA DIVERSITY METRICS PLOTTED AGAINST PHYSICOCHEMICAL MEASUREMENTS. 115 vi REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 116 VITA .............................................................................................................................. 130 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1. Physical, chemical, and mineralogical data and sequencing statistics ..... 24 Table 2.2. SIMPER analysis results displaying top ten 97% OTUs responsible for dissimilarity between water and sediment samples. ................................. 25 Table 2.3. SIMPER analysis results displaying top ten 97% OTUs responsible for dissimilarity between high temperature (A,B) vs. medium temperature (C) vs. low temperature (E) sediment. ...........................................................