Microbial diversity in deep hypersaline anoxic basins

Francesca Mapelli, Sara Borin, Daniele Daffonchio*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Deep hypersaline anoxic basins (DHABs) have been discovered on the seafloor in different oceanic regions, such as the Gulf of Mexico (Shokes et al. 1977), the Red Sea (Pautot et al. 1984) and the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (Jongsma et al. 1983; Dupré et al. 2007). DHABs contain brines that due to their temperature and/or salinity do not mix with the upper seawater layers and lead to the stratification of the water column. Gradients of oxygen, sulphide, ammonium and other electron acceptors/donors can occur, quite often contributed by microbial activity (Sass et al. 2001). The chemoclines at the interface between the hypersaline waters of the brines and the overlaying seawater have been recognized as hot spot for microbial abundance and activity (van der Wielen et al. 2005; Daffonchio et al. 2006). Environmental gradients represent high turnover spots in the biosphere and have to be taken into account to model global biogeochemical cycles and their response to environmental changes (Brune et al. 2000).

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationAdaption of Microbial Life to Environmental Extremes
Subtitle of host publicationNovel Research Results and Application
PublisherSpringer-Verlag Vienna
Pages21-36
Number of pages16
ISBN (Electronic)9783211996911
ISBN (Print)9783211996904
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2012
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2012 Springer-Verlag/Wien.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Immunology and Microbiology
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
  • General Environmental Science

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