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Diversity of chemosynthetic thiosulfate oxidizing bacteria from diffuse flow hydrothermal vents and their role in mercury detoxification

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Text
TitleInfo (ID = T-1)
Title
Diversity of chemosynthetic thiosulfate oxidizing bacteria from diffuse flow hydrothermal vents and their role in mercury detoxification
SubTitle
PartName
PartNumber
NonSort
Identifier
ETD_1405
Identifier (type = hdl)
http://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.2/rucore10001600001.ETD.000050499
Language (objectPart = )
LanguageTerm (authority = ISO639-2); (type = code)
eng
Genre (authority = marcgt)
theses
Subject (ID = SBJ-1); (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
Subject (ID = SBJ-2); (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Sulfur bacteria
Subject (ID = SBJ-3); (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Marine bacteria
Abstract
The mixing of hydrothermal fluids with seawater creates chemical, temperature, and pH gradients that support chemosynthetic primary production at deep-sea vents. These fluids are enriched with reduced sulfur compounds and their oxidation under aerobic conditions is considered the main chemosynthetic process at the vents. The main objective of my research was to gain a better understanding of the aerobic chemosynthetic thiosulfate oxidation processes at deep-sea hydrothermal vents, by studying the abundance and diversity of chemosynthetic thiosulfate oxidizing bacteria, and their role on the detoxification of heavy metals, with an emphasis on mercury detoxification. Fluids, sediments, and biomass from microbial colonization experiments were collected during several expeditions to the East Pacific Rise (EPR) at “9º50’N, 104º17’W” and to the Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California. Microbial isolations were carried out from diluted and undiluted samples. Isolates were identified by 16S rRNA gene analysis. The isolates obtained in pure cultures were related to the genera Thiomicrospira, Halothiobacillus, Hydrogenovibrio, Thioclava, Thalassospira, and Pelagibaca, as well as a new isolate EPR 70, which was described as a new species, Salinisphaera hydrothermalis. The isolates were further characterized, and their functional genes encoding enzymes for carbon fixation (RubisCO) and thiosulfate oxidation (SoxB) were analyzed. The Most Probable Number (MPN) technique was carried out in order to determine the abundance of chemosynthetic thiosulfate oxidizing bacteria, and the values obtained were compared with the total number of microorganisms per sample, estimated from microscopic direct counts. Our data show that this group of microorganisms represented from 103 to 107 cells per ml of sample, which accounts for about 0.002% to 14.1% of the total cell counts per sample. The chemical composition of the fluids was analyzed, and results indicated that hydrothermal fluids were enriched in mercury with concentrations comparable to the concentrations found in contaminated surface waters. MPN counts were done with the addition of mercury in order to determine the percentage of chemosynthetic thiosulfate oxidizing bacteria that were mercury resistant. Results indicated that from 0.2 to 24.6% of the chemosynthetic bacteria were resistant, suggesting an adaptation to life in the presence of this toxic metal.
PhysicalDescription
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electronic resource
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xi, 99 p. : ill.
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application/pdf
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Note (type = degree)
Ph.D.
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-98)
Note (type = statement of responsibility)
by Melitza Crespo-Medina
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Crespo-Medina
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Melitza
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author
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Melitza Crespo-Medina
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Vetriani
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Costantino
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chair
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Advisory Committee
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Costantino Vetriani
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Barkay
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Tamar
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internal member
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Advisory Committee
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Tamar Barkay
Name (ID = NAME-4); (type = personal)
NamePart (type = family)
Bini
NamePart (type = given)
Elisabetta
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internal member
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Advisory Committee
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Elisabetta Bini
Name (ID = NAME-5); (type = personal)
NamePart (type = family)
Reinfelder
NamePart (type = given)
John
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outside member
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Advisory Committee
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John Reinfelder
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NamePart
Rutgers University
Role
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degree grantor
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Graduate School - New Brunswick
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school
OriginInfo
DateCreated (point = ); (qualifier = exact)
2009
DateOther (qualifier = exact); (type = degree)
2009-01
Place
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xx
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NjNbRU
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Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
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ETD
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TitleInfo
Title
Graduate School - New Brunswick Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = local)
rucore19991600001
Identifier (type = doi)
doi:10.7282/T3B27VKH
Genre (authority = ExL-Esploro)
ETD doctoral
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Open
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Non-exclusive ETD license
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I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.
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