A natural alkaline geothermal microbial mat community from Mushroom Spring in Yellowstone National Park. The community is structured around thermophilic Synechococcus cyanobacteria, filamentous anoxygenic phototrophs related to Roseiflexus and Chloroflexus, and an undermat community that includes Thermodesulfovibrio-like sulfate reducers. It is a DOE-relevant model for high-temperature photosynthesis, diel carbon and nitrogen cycling, metagenome-resolved community metabolism, and carbon flow in phototrophic microbial mats.
Taxonomy
| Taxon | Ontology ID | Functional Roles | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mushroom Spring Synechococcus spp. | NCBITaxon:1129 |
PRIMARY_PRODUCER
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N/A |
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| Mushroom Spring Roseiflexus spp. | NCBITaxon:120961 |
PRIMARY_PRODUCER
CROSS_FEEDER
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DOMINANT |
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| Mushroom Spring Chloroflexus spp. | NCBITaxon:1107 |
PRIMARY_PRODUCER
CROSS_FEEDER
|
N/A |
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| Mushroom Spring Thermodesulfovibrio sp. | NCBITaxon:28261 |
SECONDARY_FERMENTER
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COMMON |
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Ecological Interactions
Taxon
Cross-feeding
Mutualism
Syntrophy
Competition
Commensalism
Niche partitioning
Colonization facilitation
Strain competition
Predation
Diel Phototrophic Carbon Fixation
NICHE_PARTITIONINGMetabolites: carbon dioxide (CHEBI:16526)
Biological Processes:
- photosynthesis (GO:0015979)
- carbon fixation (GO:0015977)
Evidence
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PMID:23575369 - SUPPORT (COMPUTATIONAL)"expressed key genes involved in the 3-hydroxypropionate (3-OHP) carbon dioxide fixation bi-cycle during the day"
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PMID:23575369 - SUPPORT (COMPUTATIONAL)"Transcripts for genes involved in the biosynthesis of bacteriochlorophylls"
Phototroph Storage Polymer Cycling
NICHE_PARTITIONINGBiological Processes:
- fermentation (GO:0006113)
- carbon fixation (GO:0015977)
Evidence
-
PMID:23575369 - SUPPORT (COMPUTATIONAL)"storage polymers, including glycogen, polyhydroxyalkanoates and wax esters"
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PMID:23575369 - SUPPORT (COMPUTATIONAL)"in daytime, polyhydroxyalkanoates and wax esters are degraded"
Upper-Mat and Undermat Nitrogen Fixation Partitioning
NICHE_PARTITIONINGSource Taxon: Mushroom Spring Synechococcus spp.
Target Taxon: Mushroom Spring Thermodesulfovibrio sp.
Biological Processes:
- nitrogen fixation (GO:0009399)
Evidence
-
PMID:28634470 - SUPPORT (COMPUTATIONAL)"Nitrogen fixation appears to be limited to Synechococcus spp. in the upper mat layer and Thermodesulfovibrio sp. in the undermat"
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PMID:28634470 - SUPPORT (COMPUTATIONAL)"nitrate/nitrite metabolism was limited"
Stratified Chlorophototrophic Community Structure
NICHE_PARTITIONINGEvidence
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PMID:28634470 - SUPPORT (COMPUTATIONAL)"diverse but extremely uneven microbial assemblage in the undermat of Mushroom Spring"
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PMID:28634470 - SUPPORT (COMPUTATIONAL)"Metagenome binning recovered partial genomes of all abundant community members"
Associated Datasets
| Dataset | Type | Repository | Accession |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Mushroom Spring Chloroflexi diel metatranscriptomics publication
PubMed-indexed metatranscriptomic study of phototrophic Chloroflexi in the Mushroom Spring microbial mat over a diel period. |
METATRANSCRIPTOME | OTHER | PMID:23575369 |
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Mushroom Spring undermat genome-centric publication
PubMed-indexed genome-centric metagenomic analysis of abundant members in the Mushroom Spring undermat community. |
METAGENOME | OTHER | PMID:28634470 |
Environmental Factors
| Factor | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Geothermal spring temperature and chemistry | neutral to alkaline geothermal spring mat | N/A |
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| Diel light regime | day-night light cycle | N/A |
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| Mat depth | upper phototrophic layer and orange undermat | N/A |
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