title: Microbial reefs in the Black Sea fueled by anaerobic oxidation of methane.
abstract: Massive microbial mats covering up to 4-meter-high carbonate buildups prosper at methane seeps in anoxic waters of the northwestern Black Sea shelf. Strong 13C depletions indicate an incorporation of methane carbon into carbonates, bulk biomass, and specific lipids. The mats mainly consist of densely aggregated archaea (phylogenetic ANME-1 cluster) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (Desulfosarcina/Desulfococcus group). If incubated in vitro, these mats perform anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled to sulfate reduction. Obviously, anaerobic microbial consortia can generate both carbonate precipitation and substantial biomass accumulation, which has implications for our understanding of carbon cycling during earlier periods of Earth's history.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biogeochemistry and Marine Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Bundesstrasse 55, 20146 Hamburg, Germany. michaelis@geowiss.uni-hamburg.de
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Michaelis
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seifert
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nauhaus
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Treude
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Thiel
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blumenberg
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Knittel
authors.forename: Armin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gieseke
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peterknecht
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pape
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boetius
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amann
authors.forename: Bo Barker
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: Friedrich
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Widdel
authors.forename: Jörn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peckmann
authors.forename: Nikolai V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Pimenov
authors.forename: Maksim B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Gulin
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001105:Archaea / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D018533:Biomass; D002254:Carbonates / Q000378:metabolism; D011232:Chemical Precipitation; D020564:Deltaproteobacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D017753:Ecosystem; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology*; D013431:Sulfates / Q000378:metabolism; D016999:Sulfur-Reducing Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D002254:Carbonates; D013431:Sulfates; D008697:Methane