Goldschmidt Conference Abstracts 919 Insights into marine microbial Aerobic hydrogen oxidation by a communities that couple anaerobic chemolithotrophic Beggiatoa strain biogeochemical cycles to remote A.-C. GIRNTH* AND H.N. SCHULZ-VOGT oxidants Max Planck Institut for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstraße 1, 1 2 28357 Bremen, Germany PETER R. GIRGUIS *, PENGFEI SONG AND 2 (*correspondence:
[email protected]) MARK NIELSEN 1Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue Room 3085, Hydrogen oxidation in oxic/anoxic gradients Cambridge, MA 02138 (* correspondence: Transition zones between oxic and anoxic environments
[email protected]) are primary habitats for aerobic hydrogen oxidizers. In sulfidic 2Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue Room 3092, sediments, filamentous bacteria of the genus Beggiatoa thrive Cambridge, MA 02138 within this narrow horizon and feature fine-tuned chemotactic responses to keep track of the interface. So far, only anaerobic hydrogen oxidation coupled to reduction of stored sulfur has Extracellular electron transfer (EET) is a process whereby been shown for a heterotrophic Beggiatoa strain [1]. Here we microbes shuttle electrons outside the cell, and access solid- demonstrate aerobic hydrogen oxidation by the phase oxidants as well as spatially remote oxidants. EET has chemolithoautotrophic strain Beggiatoa 35Flor grown in a been well-studied in cultivated microbes, e.g., heterotrophic mineral medium featuring artificial oxygen, sulfide and iron-reducing "-proteobacteria. The relevance of EET in hydrogen gradients. nature, however, and its impact on biogeochemical cycles remains poorly constrained. Anaerobic marine sediments host Beggiatoa 35Flor uses hydrogen as an accessory microbial communities that are involved in numerous electron donor biogeochemical cycles, and those capable of EET would have In the presence of hydrogen, Beggiatoa 35Flor mats access to solid-phase as well as remote oxidants.