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Müller, H. ; Bosch, J. ; Griebler, C. ; Damgaard, L.R.* ; Nielsen, L.P.* ; Lueders, T. ; Meckenstock, R.U.

Long-distance electron transfer by cable bacteria in aquifer sediments.

ISME J. 10, 2010-2019 (2016)
Publ. Version/Full Text Research data DOI PMC
Open Access Gold (Paid Option)
Creative Commons Lizenzvertrag
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
Corresponding Author
Keywords Deep Sandstone Aquifer; Natural Attenuation; Contaminated Aquifer; Phenolic-compounds; Redox Conditions; Marine Sediment; Sea-floor; Biodegradation; Transport; Currents
ISSN (print) / ISBN 1751-7362
e-ISSN 1751-7370
Journal ISME Journal
Quellenangaben Volume: 10, Issue: 8, Pages: 2010-2019 Article Number: , Supplement: ,
Publisher Nature Publishing Group
Publishing Place London
Non-patent literature Publications
Reviewing status Peer reviewed
Institute(s) Institute of Groundwater Ecology (IGOE)