title: First evidence for the presence of iron oxidizing zetaproteobacteria at the Levantine continental margins.
abstract: During the 2010-2011 E/V Nautilus exploration of the Levantine basin's sediments at the depth of 300-1300 m, densely patched orange-yellow flocculent mats were observed at various locations along the continental margin of Israel. Cores from the mat and the control locations were collected by remotely operated vehicle system (ROV) operated by the E/V Nautilus team. Microscopic observation and phylogenetic analysis of microbial 16S and 23S rRNA gene sequences indicated the presence of zetaproteobacterial stalk forming Mariprofundus spp.-like prokaryotes in the mats. Bacterial tag-encoded FLX amplicon pyrosequencing determined that zetaproteobacterial populations were a dominant fraction of microbial community in the biofilm. We show for the first time that zetaproteobacterial may thrive at the continental margins, regardless of crustal iron supply, indicating significant fluxes of ferrous iron to the sediment-water interface. In light of this discovery, we discuss the potential bioavailability of sediment-water interface iron for organisms in the overlying water column.
authors.affiliation: The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Maxim
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rubin-Blum
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Gilad
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Antler
authors.affiliation: The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Rami
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tsadok
authors.affiliation: The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shemesh
authors.affiliation: Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America.
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Austin
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Oceanography, The University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, Rhode Island, United States of America.
authors.forename: Dwight F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.affiliation: The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Beverly N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Goodman-Tchernov
authors.affiliation: The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel; Department of Geophysical, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Zvi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ben-Avraham
authors.affiliation: The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tchernov
mesh_terms: D018441:Biofilms; D005843:Geography; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D007557:Israel; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010802:Phylogeny; D020560:Proteobacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D058998:Remote Sensing Technology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D014867:Water; D007501:Iron