@article {ISI:000360888000001,
	title = {{Carbon fixation by basalt-hosted microbial communities}},
	journal = {FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY},
	volume = {6},
	year = {2015},
	month = {sep},
	type = {Article},
	abstract = {Oceanic crust is a massive potential habitat for microbial life on Earth, yet our understanding of this ecosystem is limited due to difficulty in access. In particular, measurements of rates of microbial activity are sparse. We used stable carbon isotope incubations of crustal samples, coupled with functional gene analyses, to examine the potential for carbon fixation on oceanic crust. Both seafloor-exposed and subseafloor basalts were recovered from different mid-ocean ridge and hot spot environments (i.e., the Juan de Fuca Ridge, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and the Loihi Seamount) and incubated with C-13-labeled bicarbonate. Seafloor-exposed basalts revealed incorporation of C-13-label into organic matter over time, though the degree of incorporation was heterogeneous. The incorporation of C-13 into biomass was inconclusive in subseafloor basalts. Translating these measurements into potential rates of carbon fixation indicated that 0.1-10 nmol C g(-1) rock d(-1) could be fixed by seafloor-exposed rocks. When scaled to the global production of oceanic crust, this suggests carbon fixation rates of 10(9)-10(12) g C year(-1), which matches earlier predictions based on thermodynamic calculations. Functional gene analyses indicate that the Calvin cycle is likely the dominant biochemical mechanism for carbon fixation in basalt-hosted biofilms, although the reductive acetyl-CoA pathway and reverse TCA cycle likely play some role in net carbon fixation. These results provide empirical evidence for autotrophy in oceanic crust, suggesting that basalt-hosted autotrophy could be a significant contributor of organic matter in this remote and vast environment.},
	keywords = {HOV Alvin (Human Occupied Vehicle), ROV Jason (Remotely Operated Vehicle)},
	issn = {1664-302X},
	doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2015.90400904},
	author = {Orcutt, Beth N and Sylvan, Jason B and Rogers, Daniel R and Delaney, Jennifer and Lee, Raymond W and Girguis, Peter R}
}
@article {ISI:000320852100014,
	title = {{Characterizing the distribution and rates of microbial sulfate reduction at Middle Valley hydrothermal vents}},
	journal = {ISME JOURNAL},
	volume = {7},
	number = {7},
	year = {2013},
	month = {jul},
	pages = {1391{\textendash}1401},
	type = {Article},
	abstract = {Few studies have directly measured sulfate reduction at hydrothermal vents, and relatively little is known about how environmental or ecological factors influence rates of sulfate reduction in vent environments. A better understanding of microbially mediated sulfate reduction in hydrothermal vent ecosystems may be achieved by integrating ecological and geochemical data with metabolic rate measurements. Here we present rates of microbially mediated sulfate reduction from three distinct hydrothermal vents in the Middle Valley vent field along the Juan de Fuca Ridge, as well as assessments of bacterial and archaeal diversity, estimates of total biomass and the abundance of functional genes related to sulfate reduction, and in situ geochemistry. Maximum rates of sulfate reduction occurred at 90 degrees C in all three deposits. Pyrosequencing and functional gene abundance data revealed differences in both biomass and community composition among sites, including differences in the abundance of known sulfate-reducing bacteria. The abundance of sequences for Thermodesulfovibro-like organisms and higher sulfate reduction rates at elevated temperatures suggests that Thermodesulfovibro-like organisms may have a role in sulfate reduction in warmer environments. The rates of sulfate reduction presented here suggest that-within anaerobic niches of hydrothermal deposits-heterotrophic sulfate reduction may be quite common and might contribute substantially to secondary productivity, underscoring the potential role of this process in both sulfur and carbon cycling at vents.},
	keywords = {HOV Alvin (Human Occupied Vehicle)},
	issn = {1751-7362},
	doi = {10.1038/ismej.2013.17},
	author = {Frank, Kiana L and Rogers, Daniel R and Olins, Heather C and Vidoudez, Charles and Girguis, Peter R}
}
