Microbial Life in a Liquid Asphalt Desert
Dirk Schulze-Makuch, Shirin Haque, Marina Resendes de Sousa Antonio,, Denzil Ali, Riad Hosein, Young C. Song, Jinshu Yang, Elena Zaikova, Denise M., Beckles, Edward Guinan, Harry J. Lehto, Steven J. Hallam
TL;DR
This study uncovers a diverse and active microbial community in a natural asphalt lake, revealing novel microbes and metabolic pathways that inform the origin of life in hydrocarbon-rich environments and serve as an analog for extraterrestrial habitats.
Contribution
It identifies and characterizes novel microbial assemblages in a liquid asphalt environment, providing insights into microbial adaptation and evolution in extreme hydrocarbon conditions.
Findings
High microbial abundance up to 10^7 cells/g
Discovery of novel, deeply branching microbial lineages
Evidence of anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation and metal respiration
Abstract
An active microbiota, reaching up to 10 E+7 cells/g, was found to inhabit a naturally occurring asphalt lake characterized by low water activity and elevated temperature. Geochemical and molecular taxonomic approaches revealed novel and deeply branching microbial assemblages mediating anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation, metal respiration and C1 utilization pathways. These results open a window into the origin and adaptive evolution of microbial life within recalcitrant hydrocarbon matrices, and establish the site as a useful analog for the liquid hydrocarbon environments on Saturn's moon Titan.
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