02448nas a2200217 4500008004100000245010000041210006900141260001200210490000700222520174400229100001201973700001901985700002702004700002102031700001602052700001702068700002902085700002302114700002102137856007202158 2020 eng d00aMethane production in the oxygenated water column of a perennially ice‐covered Antarctic lake0 aMethane production in the oxygenated water column of a perennial c01/20200 v653 a

Aerobic methane production in aquatic ecosystems impacts the global atmospheric budget of methane, but the extent, mechanism, and taxa responsible for producing this greenhouse gas are not fully understood. Lake Bonney (LB), a perennially ice‐covered Antarctic lake, has cold hypersaline waters underlying an oxygenated freshwater layer. We present temporal methane concentration profiles in LB indicating methane production in the oxygenated (> 200% air saturation) water. Experiments amended with methylphosphonate (MPn) yielded methane generation, suggesting in situ methanogenesis via the carbon‐phosphorus (C‐P) lyase pathway. Enrichment cultures from the lake were used to isolate five bacterial strains capable of generating methane when supplied with MPn as the sole P source. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the isolates belong to the Proteobacteria (closely related to Marinomonas, Hoeflea, and Marinobacter genera) and Bacteroidetes (Algoriphagus genus). 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing confirms the presence of these taxa in LB. None of the isolated species were reported to be capable to produce methane. In addition, orthologs of the phosphoenolpyruvate mutase gene (PepM) and methylphosphonate synthase (MPnS), enzymes involved in phosphonate and MPn biosynthesis, were widely spread in the LB shotgun metagenomic libraries; genes related to C‐P lyase pathways (phn gene clusters) were also abundant. 16S rRNA and mcrA genes of anaerobic methanogens were absent in both 16S rRNA and metagenomics libraries. These data reveal that in situ aerobic biological methane production is likely a significant source of methane in LB.

1 aLi, Wei1 aDore, John, E.1 aSteigmeyer, August, J.1 aCho, Yong‐Joon1 aKim, Ok-Sun1 aLiu, Yongqin1 aMorgan-Kiss, Rachael, M.1 aSkidmore, Mark, L.1 aPriscu, John, C. uhttps://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lno.1125702127nas a2200217 4500008004100000245010900041210006900150260001200219300001600231490000700247520142800254100001501682700001801697700003301715700001601748700002001764700002001784700002101804700001601825856006801841 2017 eng d00aNiche specialization of bacteria in permanently ice-covered lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica0 aNiche specialization of bacteria in permanently icecovered lakes c06/2017 a2258 - 22710 v193 a

Perennially ice‐covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, are chemically stratified with depth and have distinct biological gradients. Despite long‐term research on these unique environments, data on the structure of the microbial communities in the water columns of these lakes are scarce. Here, we examined bacterial diversity in five ice‐covered Antarctic lakes by 16S rRNA gene‐based pyrosequencing. Distinct communities were present in each lake, reflecting the unique biogeochemical characteristics of these environments. Further, certain bacterial lineages were confined exclusively to specific depths within each lake. For example, candidate division WM88 occurred solely at a depth of 15 m in Lake Fryxell, whereas unknown lineages of Chlorobi were found only at a depth of 18 m in Lake Miers, and two distinct classes of Firmicutes inhabited East and West Lobe Bonney at depths of 30 m. Redundancy analysis revealed that community variation of bacterioplankton could be explained by the distinct conditions of each lake and depth; in particular, assemblages from layers beneath the chemocline had biogeochemical associations that differed from those in the upper layers. These patterns of community composition may represent bacterial adaptations to the extreme and unique biogeochemical gradients of ice‐covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

1 aKwon, Miye1 aKim, Mincheol1 aTakacs-Vesbach, Cristina, D.1 aLee, Jaejin1 aHong, Soon, Gyu1 aKim, Sang, Jong1 aPriscu, John, C.1 aKim, Ok-Sun uhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1462-2920.13721