Lipid biomolecules in silica sinters: indicators of microbial biodiversity

To explore further the diversity of the microorganisms and their relationship with geothermal sinters, we examined the lipids preserved in six sinters associated with four different hot spring (58-82 degrees C) areas of the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), New Zealand. These sinters contain microbial remains, but the process of mineralization has rendered them largely unidentifiable. Dominant lipids include free fatty acids, 1,2-diacylglycerophospholipids, 1,2-di-O-alkylglycerols, glycerol dialkylglycerol tetraethers and 1-O-alkylglycerols. These confirm the presence and, in some cases, high abundances of bacteria in all six sinters and archaea in four of the six sinter samples; in addition, the presence of novel macrocyclic diethers and unusual distributions of monoethers and diethers suggest the presence of previously uncharacterized bacteria. The lipid distributions are also markedly dissimilar among the four sites; for example, novel macrocyclic diethers are restricted to the Rotokawa samples while particularly abundant monoethers occur only in the Orakei Korako sample. Thus, biomarkers can provide crucial insight into the complex community structure of thermophilic microorganisms, including both archaea and bacteria, involved with biogenic silica sinter formation.