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Quantification of Hydrogen Concentrations in Surface and Interface Layers and Bulk Materials through Depth Profiling with Nuclear Reaction Analysis

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Hydrogen Utilization Potential in Subsurface Sediments.

Rishi R Adhikari¹, Clemens Glombitza², Julia C Nickel³

¹MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of BremenBremen, Germany; Geomicrobiology Group, Institute of Earth and Environmental Science, University of PotsdamPotsdam, Germany.

Frontiers in Microbiology

|February 10, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Subsurface microbes show varying potential for hydrogen oxidation, with activity linked to electron acceptors. This study measured hydrogenase enzyme activity across diverse marine and lake environments.

Keywords:

Barents Sea Equatorial Pacific Gulf of Mexico Lake Van deep biosphere hydrogenase microbial activity tritium assay

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Area of Science:

Geomicrobiology
Biogeochemistry
Enzymology

Background:

Subsurface microbial communities perform diverse electron accepting processes.
Hydrogenase enzymes are crucial for microorganisms utilizing molecular hydrogen.
Understanding hydrogen metabolism is key to subsurface ecosystem function.

Purpose of the Study:

To measure potential hydrogen oxidation catalyzed by hydrogenase enzymes in various subsurface sedimentary environments.
To assess microbial activity irrespective of the predominant electron-accepting process.
To investigate the relationship between hydrogenase activity and dominant electron acceptors.

Main Methods:

Utilized a tritium-based assay to measure potential hydrogen oxidation rates.
Collected samples from multiple depths across diverse locations (Lake Van, Barents Sea, Equatorial Pacific, Gulf of Mexico).
Assayed samples immediately after recovery, preserving them via freezing to maintain microbial activity.

Main Results:

Potential hydrogen oxidation activity was detected in all sampled subsurface environments.
Per-cell potential hydrogenase activity varied over five orders of magnitude.
Lowest per-cell rates were found in nitrate-reducing zones, highest in methanogenic zones.

Conclusions:

Microbial hydrogen metabolism potential is strongly influenced by the predominant terminal electron acceptor.
Activity differences may be due to increasing fermentation or adaptation to higher H2 concentrations at depth.
The tritium-based assay is effective for detecting subsurface microbial activity without live material preservation.