Geothermal Gases Shape the Microbial Community of the Volcanic Soil of Pantelleria, Italy
Nunzia Picone, Carmen Hogendoorn, Geert Cremers, Lianna Poghosyan, Arjan Pol, Theo A. van Alen, Antonina Lisa Gagliano, W. D’Alessandro, Paola Quatrini, Mike S. M. Jetten, Huub J. M. Op den Camp, Tom Berben
Abstract
The Favara Grande nature reserve on the volcanic island of Pantelleria (Italy) is known for its geothermal gas emissions and high soil temperatures. These volcanic soil ecosystems represent "hot spots" of greenhouse gas emissions. The unique community might be shaped by the hostile conditions in the ecosystem, and it is involved in the cycling of elements such as carbon, hydrogen, sulfur, and nitrogen. Our metagenome study revealed that most of the microorganisms in this extreme environment are only distantly related to cultivated bacteria. The results obtained profoundly increased the understanding of these natural hot spots of greenhouse gas production/degradation and will help to enrich and isolate the microbial key players. After isolation, it will become possible to unravel the molecular mechanisms by which they adapt to extreme (thermo/acidophilic) conditions, and this may lead to new green enzymatic catalysts and technologies for industry.