Distinct Depth-Discrete Profiles of Microbial Communities and Geochemical Insights in the Subsurface Critical Zone
Xiaoqin Wu, Sara Gushgari-Doyle, Lauren Michelle Lui, Andrew J. Hendrickson, Yina Liu, Sindhu Jagadamma, Torben Nielsen, Nicholas B. Justice, Tuesday Simmons, Nancy Hess, Dominique C. Joyner, Terry C. Hazen, Adam P. Arkin, Romy Chakraborty
Abstract
In this study, we explored the links between geochemical parameters, microbial community structure and metabolic potential across the depth of sediment, including the shallow subsurface, vadose zone, capillary fringe, and saturated zone. Our results revealed that microbes in the terrestrial subsurface can be highly localized, with communities rarely being interconnected along the depth. Overall, our research demonstrates that sediment geochemistry and hydrogeology are vital in the selection of distinct microbial populations and metabolic potential in different depths of subsurface terrestrial sediment. Such studies correlating microbial community analyses and geochemistry analyses, including high resolution mass spectrometry analyses of natural organic carbon, will further the fundamental understanding of microbial ecology and biogeochemistry in subsurface terrestrial ecosystems and will benefit the future development of predictive models on nutrient turnover in these environments.