Long-distance electron transfer by cable bacteria in aquifer sediments.
ISME J. 10, 2010-2019 (2016)
The biodegradation of organic pollutants in aquifers is often restricted to the fringes of contaminant plumes where steep countergradients of electron donors and acceptors are separated by limited dispersive mixing. However, long-distance electron transfer (LDET) by filamentous 'cable bacteria' has recently been discovered in marine sediments to couple spatially separated redox half reactions over centimeter scales. Here we provide primary evidence that such sulfur-oxidizing cable bacteria can also be found at oxic-anoxic interfaces in aquifer sediments, where they provide a means for the direct recycling of sulfate by electron transfer over 1-2-cm distance. Sediments were taken from a hydrocarbon-contaminated aquifer, amended with iron sulfide and saturated with water, leaving the sediment surface exposed to air. Steep geochemical gradients developed in the upper 3 cm, showing a spatial separation of oxygen and sulfide by 9 mm together with a pH profile characteristic for sulfur oxidation by LDET. Bacterial filaments, which were highly abundant in the suboxic zone, were identified by sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) as cable bacteria belonging to the Desulfobulbaceae. The detection of similar Desulfobulbaceae at the oxic-anoxic interface of fresh sediment cores taken at a contaminated aquifer suggests that LDET may indeed be active at the capillary fringe in situ.
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Publication type
Article: Journal article
Document type
Scientific Article
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Keywords
Deep Sandstone Aquifer; Natural Attenuation; Contaminated Aquifer; Phenolic-compounds; Redox Conditions; Marine Sediment; Sea-floor; Biodegradation; Transport; Currents
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Publication Year
2016
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2016
ISSN (print) / ISBN
1751-7362
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1751-7370
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Volume: 10,
Issue: 8,
Pages: 2010-2019
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Nature Publishing Group
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London
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Peer reviewed
POF-Topic(s)
20403 - Sustainable Water Management
Research field(s)
Environmental Sciences
PSP Element(s)
G-504300-005
G-504300-006
G-504300-004
G-504300-002
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Erfassungsdatum
2016-04-14