Sulfidogenesis under extremely haloalkaline conditions in soda lakes of Kulunda Steppe (Altai, Russia)
- 4 May 2010
- journal article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in FEMS Microbiology Ecology
- Vol. 73 (2), 278-90
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6941.2010.00901.x
Abstract
Sulfidogenic activity (SA) in anoxic sediments of several soda lakes with variable salinity in south Kulunda Steppe (Altai, Russia) has been investigated. The study included in situ measurements of sulfate reduction rates and laboratory experiments with sediment slurries in which sulfate, thiosulfate or elemental sulfur were used as electron acceptors. Despite the extreme conditions (high salt concentrations and high pH), the SA values were relatively high (ranging from 0.02 to 1.20 μmol HS− cm−3 h−1), and only hampered under salt-saturated conditions. The highest SA was observed with elemental sulfur, followed by thiosulfate, while the lowest SA was determined in the presence of sulfate. Of all the electron donors tested, the addition of formate resulted in the highest SA with all three sulfur electron acceptors. Surprisingly, hydrogen as an electron donor had very little effect. Acetate was utilized as an electron donor only under sulfur-reducing conditions. Indigenous populations of sulfidogens in soda lake sediments showed an obligately alkaliphilic pH response of SA, showing a pattern that corresponded well to the in situ pH conditions. Sulfate reduction was much more susceptible to salt inhibition than thiosulfate and sulfur reduction. Microbiological investigations indicated that sulfate-reducing bacteria belonging to the orders Desulfovibrionales and Desulfobacterales could very likely be responsible for the SA with sulfate and thiosulfate as electron acceptors at moderate salt concentrations. Sulfur reduction at moderate salinity was carried out by a specialized group of haloalkaliphilic sulfur-reducing bacteria that utilize volatile fatty acids. In saturated soda brine, extremely natronophilic representatives of the order Halanaerobiales were responsible for the sulfur-dependent respiration.Keywords
This publication has 37 references indexed in Scilit:
- Propionate and butyrate dependent bacterial sulfate reduction at extremely haloalkaline conditions and description of Desulfobotulus alkaliphilus sp. nov.Extremophiles, 2009
- Ecophysiology of “ Halarsenatibacter silvermanii ” Strain SLAS-1 T , gen. nov., sp. nov., a Facultative Chemoautotrophic Arsenate Respirer from Salt-Saturated Searles Lake, CaliforniaApplied and Environmental Microbiology, 2009
- Dethiobacter alkaliphilus gen. nov. sp. nov., and Desulfurivibrio alkaliphilus gen. nov. sp. nov.: two novel representatives of reductive sulfur cycle from soda lakesExtremophiles, 2008
- Bacterial diversity and activity along a salinity gradient in soda lakes of the Kulunda Steppe (Altai, Russia)Extremophiles, 2007
- Effects of Imposed Salinity Gradients on Dissimilatory Arsenate Reduction, Sulfate Reduction, and Other Microbial Processes in Sediments from Two California Soda LakesApplied and Environmental Microbiology, 2007
- Salinity Constraints on Subsurface Archaeal Diversity and Methanogenesis in Sedimentary Rock Rich in Organic MatterApplied and Environmental Microbiology, 2007
- Diversity, Activity, and Abundance of Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria in Saline and Hypersaline Soda LakesApplied and Environmental Microbiology, 2007
- Diversity of Kenyan soda lake alkaliphiles assessed by molecular methodsExtremophiles, 2004
- Bacterial diversity of the Inner Mongolian Baer Soda Lake as revealed by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysesExtremophiles, 2003
- Seasonal Dynamics of the Sulphate Reduction Rate on the North-western Black Sea ShelfEstuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2002