caa a22 4500 445891793 CHVBK 20180317145618.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170323e20111101xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10750-011-0932-9 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10750-011-0932-9 Microbial hotspots in anchialine blue holes: initial discoveries from the Bahamas [Elektronische Daten] [Brett Gonzalez, Thomas Iliffe, Jennifer Macalady, Irene Schaperdoth, Brian Kakuk] Inland blue holes of the Bahamas are anchialine ecosystems with distinct fresh and salt water layers, and anoxic or microoxic conditions at depth. Scientific cave diving and geomicrobiology exploration of blue holes are providing a first glimpse of the geochemistry and microbial life in these vertically stratified karst features. We hypothesized that two geographically adjacent, sunlit blue holes on Abaco Island would have comparable biogeochemistry and microbial life. Water samples were analyzed using in situ multiparameter dataloggers and field and laboratory tests, and diver-retrieved microbial samples were analyzed using nucleic acid analysis. Microbial 16S rRNA genes were dominated by members of the anoxygenic phototroph clade Chlorobi, with smaller numbers of Deltaproteobacteria, in both blue holes. However, spatial distributions of microbial biomass and species present within these major clades were significantly different. We also found that differences in the intensity of solar insolation, terrestrial and marine inputs, water residence time, depth to the halo/chemocline, and cave passage geometry strongly influence geochemical changes with depth. The biogeochemical diversity of inland blue holes in the Bahamas make them valuable as natural laboratories, repositories of microbial diversity, and analogs for stratified and sulfidic oceans present early in Earth's history. Springer Science+Business Media B.V., 2011 Blue holes nationallicence Anchialine caves nationallicence 16S rRNA clone libraries nationallicence Microbial ecology nationallicence Bahamas nationallicence Gonzalez Brett Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, 77553-1675, Galveston, TX, USA aut Iliffe Thomas Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, 77553-1675, Galveston, TX, USA aut Macalady Jennifer Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, 16802, University Park, PA, USA aut Schaperdoth Irene Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, 16802, University Park, PA, USA aut Kakuk Brian Bahamas Underground, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, The Bahamas aut Hydrobiologia Springer Netherlands 677/1(2011-11-01), 149-156 0018-8158 677:1<149 2011 677 10750 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-011-0932-9 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 brief-communication jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-011-0932-9 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Gonzalez Brett Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, 77553-1675, Galveston, TX, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Iliffe Thomas Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, 77553-1675, Galveston, TX, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Macalady Jennifer Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, 16802, University Park, PA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Schaperdoth Irene Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, 16802, University Park, PA, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Kakuk Brian Bahamas Underground, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, The Bahamas aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Hydrobiologia Springer Netherlands 677/1(2011-11-01), 149-156 0018-8158 677:1<149 2011 677 10750 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer