Subsurface microbial community structure shifts along the geological features of the Central American Volcanic Arc
Subduction of the Cocos and Nazca oceanic plates beneath the Caribbean plate drives the upward movement of deep fluids enriched in carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and iron along the Central American Volcanic Arc (CAVA). These compounds fuel diverse subsurface microbial communities that in turn alter the distribution, redox state, and isotopic composition of these compounds. Microbial community structure and functions vary according to deep fluid delivery across the arc, but less is known about how microbial communities differ along the axis of a convergent margin as geological features (e.g., extent of volcanism and subduction geometry) shift. Here, we investigate changes in bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicons and geochemical analysis of deeply-sourced seeps along the southern CAVA, where subduction of the Cocos Ridge alters the geological setting. We find shifts in community composition along the convergent margin, with communities in similar geological settings clustering together independently of the proximity of sample sites. Microbial community composition correlates with geological variables such as host rock type, maturity of hydrothermal fluid and slab depth along different segments of the CAVA. This reveals tight coupling between deep Earth processes and subsurface microbial activity, controlling community distribution, structure and composition along a convergent margin.
Authors
- Deborah Bastoni
- Gerdhard L Jessen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2602-6052)
- Mustafa Yücel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7478-902X)
- Mayuko Nakagawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3611-8118)
- Marco Basili (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9936-9507)
- Karen G. Lloyd (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0914-6375)
- Timothy J. Rogers (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4292-619X)
- Angelina Cordone (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6131-3145)
- Peter H. Barry (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6960-1555)
- Ricardo Sánchez‐Murillo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8721-8093)
- J. Maarten de Moor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2380-5832)
- David V. Bekaert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1062-6221)
- Sabin Zahirovic (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6751-4976)
- Donato Giovannelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7182-8233)
- Matthew O. Schrenk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5623-8558)
- C. J. Ramírez
Institutions
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- Tokyo Institute of Technology (JP)
- University of Southern California (US)
- Statewide California Earthquake Center (US)
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Austral University of Chile (CL)
- University of New Mexico (US)
- University of Concepción (CL)
- Universidad Nacional (CR)
- Middle East Technical University (TR)
- Tracer Technologies (United States) (US)
- Centre de Recherches Pétrographiques et Géochimiques (FR)
- Universidad Hispanoamerica (CR)
- Life Science Institute (JP)
- National Research Council (IT)
- Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (US)
- University of Naples Federico II (IT)
- University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US)
- Michigan State University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- PLoS ONE
- Published
- 2024-11-13
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0308756
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.84
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
- European Commission
- Università Politecnica delle Marche
- Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo
- Office of Science
- European Research Council
- Australian Research Council
- Division of Earth Sciences
- Biological and Environmental Research