Isotopic Signatures of Carbon Transfer in a Proterozoic Analogue Microbial Mat

Modern microbial mats are potential analogues for Proterozoic ecosystems, yet only a few studies have characterized mats under low-oxygen conditions that are relevant to Proterozoic environments. Here, we use protein-stable isotope fingerprinting (P-SIF) to determine the protein carbon isotope (δ¹³C) values of autotrophic, heterotrophic, and mixotrophic organisms in a benthic microbial mat from the low-oxygen Middle Island Sinkhole, Lake Huron, USA (MIS). We also measure the δ¹³C values of the sugar moieties of exopolysaccharides (EPS) within the mat to explore the relationships between cyanobacterial exudates and heterotrophic anabolic carbon uptake. Our results show that Cyanobacteria (autotrophs) are ¹³C-depleted, relative to sulfate-reducing bacteria (heterotrophs), and ¹³C-enriched, relative to sulfur oxidizing bacteria (autotrophs or mixotrophs). We also find that the pentose moieties of EPS are systematically enriched in ¹³C, relative to the hexose moieties of EPS. We hypothesize that these isotopic patterns reflect cyanobacterial metabolic pathways, particularly phosphoketolase, that are relatively more active in low-oxygen mat environments, rather than oxygenated mat environments. This results in isotopically more heterogeneous C sources in low-oxygen mats. While this might partially explain the isotopic variability observed in Proterozoic mat facies, further work is necessary to systematically characterize the isotopic fractionations that are associated with the synthesis of cyanobacterial exudates. IMPORTANCE The δ¹³C compositions of heterotrophic microorganisms are dictated by the δ¹³C compositions of their organic carbon sources. In both modern and ancient photosynthetic microbial mats, photosynthetic exudates are the most likely source of organic carbon for heterotrophs. We measured the δ¹³C values of autotrophic, heterotrophic, and mixotrophic bacteria as well as the δ¹³C value of the most abundant photosynthetic exudate (exopolysaccharide) in a modern analogue for a Proterozoic environment. Given these data, future studies will be better equipped to estimate the most likely carbon source for heterotrophs in both modern environments as well as in Proterozoic environments preserved in the rock record.