1. Iron finger chimneys at Loihi Microbial Communities at Seamounts

2. Microbial Community Characterization What microorganisms are present and how many? –the potential for biogeochemical processes to occur –just because organisms are present doesn't necessarily mean they are active What are they doing and how fast? –activities = biogeochemical reactions –rates What are the physical and chemical properties of the system?

3. I I I I I I I I I I I I I Relative Voltage (Pε o (W)) -10 - 8 - 6 - 4 - 2 0 + 2 + 4 + 6 + 8 + 10 + 12 + 14 -10 - 8 - 6 - 4 - 2 0 + 2 + 4 + 6 + 8 + 10 + 12 + 14 FUELS OXIDANTS Organic Carbon Organic Carbon CO 2 SO 4 = AsO 4 3- FeOOH SeO 3 NO 2 - NO 3 - MnO 2 NO 3 - /N 2 O 2 H 2 H 2 S S o Fe(II) NH 4 + Mn(II) Photoreductants The Geological Environment Supplies Many Oxidants And Reductants That Life has Learned to Utilize !! Volcanic Hydro- thermal Etc.

4. What microorganisms are present and how many? – Whole cell assays Cultivation and identification –<1% of the microbes observed have been cultured Cell counts –Total epifluorescent counts –Particle counts –Specific group assays (molecular probes)

5. What microorganisms are present and how many? – Cell extract assays Biomarkers & biomass indicators –Lipids, pigments, etc. Microbial community snapshots (PCR based) –16S ribosomal gene clone libraries & sequencing –Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) –Terminal restriction length fragment polymorphism (TRFLP) –Automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) –Polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) for specific phylotypes

6. What are they doing and how fast? (Geo)chemical methods –Detection of processes –Rate measurements of chemical reactions Molecular methods –Detection of functional genes –Measurements of gene expression Diagnostic proteins Gene transcripts (mRNA)

7. Cutting edge approaches “–Omics” –Genomics/metagenomics (genes) –Proteomics (proteins) –Transcriptomics (mRNA) Spatially-resolved mineralogical & phylogenetic approaches using synchotron technologies

8. Today’s session Katrina Edwards (WHOI) – CARD-FISH approaches for characterizing endolithic rock- hosted microbial populations David Emerson (ATCC) – Cultivation of novel marine Fe-oxidizing bacteria from the Loihi Seamount Craig Moyer (WWU) – Spatial and temporal variability in microbial mat communities from pre- and post-eruption Loihi Volcano

9. LOIHI Biofilm Experiments Pure culture & consortia, surface chemistry Molecular Characterization T-RFLP, sequencing, RubisCO Geochemical Characterization Diffraction, Electron Microscopy, Microprobe Enrichment cultures & Isolations Aerobic and anaerobic General Approaches for Studying Basalt Weathering Figure courtesy of Alexis Templeton