Crystallization of authigenic carbonates in mud volcanoes at Lake Baikal

This paper presents data on authigenic siderite first found in surface sediments from mud volcanoes in the Central (K-2) and Southern (Malen’kii) basins of Lake Baikal. Ca is the predominant cation, which substitutes Fe in the crystalline lattice of siderite. The enrichment of the carbonates in the 13C isotope (from +3.3 to +6.8‰ for the Malen’kii volcano and from +17.7 to +21.9‰ for K-2) results from the crystallization of the carbonates during methane generation via the bacterial destruction of organic matter (acetate). The overall depletion of the carbonates in 18O is mainly inherited from the isotopic composition of Baikal water

A genomic catalog of Earth’s microbiomes

The reconstruction of bacterial and archaeal genomes from shotgun metagenomes has enabled insights into the ecology and evolution of environmental and host-associated microbiomes. Here we applied this approach to >10,000 metagenomes collected from diverse habitats covering all of Earth’s continents and oceans, including metagenomes from human and animal hosts, engineered environments, and natural and agricultural soils, to capture extant microbial, metabolic and functional potential. This comprehensive catalog includes 52,515 metagenome-assembled genomes representing 12,556 novel candidate species-level operational taxonomic units spanning 135 phyla. The catalog expands the known phylogenetic diversity of bacteria and archaea by 44% and is broadly available for streamlined comparative analyses, interactive exploration, metabolic modeling and bulk download. We demonstrate the utility of this collection for understanding secondary-metabolite biosynthetic potential and for resolving thousands of new host linkages to uncultivated viruses. This resource underscores the value of genome-centric approaches for revealing genomic properties of uncultivated microorganisms that affect ecosystem processes

Thermophilic facultative anaerobic bacteria of the genus Geobacillus from bottom sediments of Lake Baikal

Pure culture of thermophilic facultative anaerobic microorganism was isolated from surface sediment of methane seepage Posolsk Bank. New strain Geobacillus sp. PB15/Grf7geo does not differ from the typical strains by morphological and physiological-biochemical properties. It is able to withstand of wide temperature range with optimum growth between 55–60 °C. Chemoorganotroph. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA sequence of the strain showed 97 % identity to cultivated strains of this genus. The strain forms a common clade with uncultivated representatives and does not cluster with sequences of cultivated strains within the genus Geobacillus in the phylogenetic tree. Strain Geobacillus sp. PB15/Grf7geo has been deposited to the collection of the VKM (=VKM B–3150T)

Isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon in subsurface sediments of gas hydrate-bearing mud volcanoes, Lake Baikal: implications for methane and carbonate origin

We report on the isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in pore-water samples recovered by gravity coring from near-bottom sediments at gas hydrate-bearing mud volcanoes/gas flares (Malenky, Peschanka, Peschanka 2, Goloustnoe, and Irkutsk) in the Southern Basin of Lake Baikal. The d13C values of DIC become heavier with increasing subbottom depth, and vary between -9.5 and +21.4‰ PDB. Enrichment of DIC in 13C indicates active methane generation in anaerobic environments near the lake bottom. These data confirm our previous assumption that crystallization of carbonates (siderites) in subsurface sediments is a result of methane generation. Types of methanogenesis (microbial methyl-type fermentation versus CO2-reduction) were revealed by determining the offset of d13C between dissolved CH4 and CO2, and also by using d13C and dD values of dissolved methane present in the pore waters. Results show that both mechanisms are most likely responsible for methane generation at the investigated locations