Variation in microbial biomass and community structure in sediments of peter the great bay (sea of japan/east sea), as estimated from fatty acid biomarkers

Variation in the microbial biomass and community structure found in sediment of heavily polluted bays and the adjacent unpolluted areas were examined using phospholipid fatty acid analysis. Total microbial biomass and microbial community structure were responding to environmental determinants, sediment grain size, depth of sediment, and pollution due to petroleum hydrocarbons. The marker fatty acids of microeukaryotes and prokaryotes - aerobic, anaerobic, and sulfate-reducing bacteria -were detected in sediments of the areas studied. Analysis of the fatty acid profiles revealed wide variations in the community structure in sediments, depending on the extent of pollution, sediment depth, and sediment grain size. The abundance of specific bacterial fatty acids points to the dominance of prokaryotic organisms, whose composition differed among the stations. Fatty acid distributions in sediments suggest the high contribution of aerobic bacteria. Sediments of polluted sites were significantly enriched with anaerobic bacteria in comparison with clean areas. The contribution of this bacterial group increased with the depth of sediments. Anaerobic bacteria were predominantly present in muddy sediments, as evidenced from the fatty acid profiles. Relatively high concentrations of marker fatty acids of sulfate-reducing bacteria were associated with organic pollution in this site. Specific fatty acids of microeukaryotes were more abundant in surface sediments than in deeper sediment layers. Among the microeukaryotes, diatoms were an important component. Significant amounts of bacterial biomass, the predominance of bacterial biomarker fatty acids with abundance of anaerobic and sulfate-reducing bacteria are indicative of a prokaryotic consortium responsive to organic pollution.     

珠江口沉积物柱状样的脂肪酸垂向变化特征

珠江口3个站位沉积柱的脂肪酸研究结果显示:沉积物中含量最高的脂肪酸是C16:0,其他脂肪酸包括不饱和脂肪酸、单甲基支链脂肪酸和长链脂肪酸。脂肪酸组成表明研究区有机质主要来源于藻类、细菌和陆源有机质。由于横琴岛附近的HQ1031站位靠近外海,初级生产力较高,因而含较多藻类脂肪酸。离淇澳岛较远的QA-B站位处于河口上缘,陆源物质丰富,初级生产力较低,因此该站位含较多陆源脂肪酸。横琴岛附近HQ1031站位的TOC值和总脂肪酸含量均大于QA-B站位,这两个站位的TOC值与总脂肪酸含量在垂向上的相关性差。横琴岛附近HQ1031站位和离淇澳岛较近的QA-A站位分别在20-22cm和16-18cm处藻类脂肪酸突然大量增加,可能与藻类输入突然增多有关。沉积物中所检测到的能指示厌氧微生物或革兰氏阳性菌的脂肪酸含量高于革兰氏阴性菌,表明珠江口沉积物微生物群落中以厌氧微生物为主。     

神狐海域Site4B表层沉积物中脂肪酸组成及其碳同位素分布特征

通过对神狐海域表层5个沉积物样品进行脂肪酸组成及其碳同位素分布特征测试和研究,结果表明总脂肪酸含量分布为5.14~8.99 μg/g,碳数分布范围从C₁₂到C₃₂,类型包括正构饱和脂肪酸、支链脂肪酸、单不饱和脂肪酸、多不饱和脂肪酸和类异戊二烯酸等计48种;样品中饱和的短链脂肪酸主要来自细菌与浮游生物,而长链饱和脂肪酸来自陆源高等植物,其比例表明研究海域中海洋细菌与浮游生物输入量远远大于陆源高等植物的输入。支链脂肪酸10me16:0与单不饱和脂肪酸18:1ω9、16:1ω9主要来自硫酸盐还原菌,而单不饱和脂肪酸16:1ω7很大可能来源于硫氧化菌,比较相对含量得出神狐海域表层沉积物为还原环境。样品中检测出8种类异戊二烯酸,主要是植烷酸和17,21-ββ二升藿烷酸,及少量的姥鲛酸,推测为叶绿素a和细菌微生物的共同贡献。     

Biochemical degradation of algal fatty acids in oxic and anoxic sediment–seawater interface systems: effects of structural association and relative roles of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria

To examine microbially mediated degradation of algal fatty acids in marine environments, we conducted a series of microcosm experiments by incubating Emiliania huxleyi cells in simulated oxic/anoxic sediment–water interface systems. Variations in concentration of fatty acids, lipid-degrading enzyme (lipase) activity, and bacterial abundance over 2-month incubations were followed to determine degradation rate constants of major algal fatty acids and responses of bacteria. In the cell-spiked experiments, fatty acids bound in the membrane and intracellular components were separated to examine effects of structural association of fatty acids on their degradation. Experimental results showed that algal fatty acids generally degraded faster (2–4×) under oxic than under anoxic conditions. Most membrane fatty acids seemed to more readily degrade than intracellular ones under anoxic conditions but the two classes degraded at similar rates under oxic conditions. Ratios of oxic to anoxic degradation rate constants were generally higher for intracellular fatty acids than for membrane fatty acids, implying that oxygen might play a more critical role in intracellular fatty acid degradation. Most algal fatty acids degraded almost completely under oxic conditions while a significant fraction (10–40%) of initially added algal fatty acids remained after 2 months under anoxic conditions. By contrast, variations in bacterial abundance during incubations were apparently greater under anoxic conditions compared to oxic conditions, suggesting that the function and relative effectiveness of aerobic vs. anaerobic bacteria rather than total bacterial abundance control biochemical degradation of algal fatty acids. Variations in potential lipase activity followed the same pattern as bacterial abundance in oxic and anoxic systems, indicating that bacteria might be a major source for lipase in these experimental systems. Bacteria-specific fatty acids varied differently during incubations and were not directly linked to bacterial abundance.     

Determination of phospholipid fatty acid structures and stable carbon isotope compositions of deep-sea sediments of the Northwest Pacific, ODP site 1179

Sediment samples ranging from 0.05 to 278 m below sea floor (mbsf) at a Northwest Pacific deep-water (5564 mbsl) site (ODP Leg 191, Site 1179) were analyzed for phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs). Total PLFA concentrations decreased by a factor of three over the first meter of sediment and then decreased at a slower rate to approximately 30 mbsf. The sharp decrease over the first meter corresponds to the depth of nitrate and Mn(IV) reduction as indicated by pore water chemistry. PLFA-based cell numbers at site 1179 had a similar depth profile as that for Acridine orange direct cell counts previously made on ODP site 1149 sediments which have a similar water depth and lithology. The mole percentage of straight chain saturated PLFAs increases with depth, with a large shift between the 0.95 and 3.95 mbsf samples. PLFA stable carbon isotope ratios were determined for sediments from 0.05 to 4.53 mbsf and showed a general trend toward more depleted δ¹³C values with depth. Both of these observations may indicate a shift in the bacterial community with depth across the different redox zones inferred from pore water chemistry data. The PLFA 10me16:0, which has been attributed to the bacterial genera Desulfobacter in many marine sediments, showed the greatest isotopic depletion, decreasing from − 20 to − 35‰ over the first meter of sediment. Pore water chemistry suggested that sulfate reduction was absent or minimal over this same sediment interval. However, 10me16:0 has been shown to be produced by recently discovered anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (anammox) bacteria which are known chemoautotrophs. The increasing depletion in δ¹³C of 10me16:0 with the unusually lower concentration of ammonium and linear decrease of nitrate concentration is consistent with a scenario of anammox bacteria mediating the oxidation of ammonium via nitrite, an intermediate of nitrate reduction.     

南极夏季南设德兰群岛东部海域南极大磷虾的摄食策略

Euphausia superba is a key species in the Southern Ocean that serves as a link between primary production and higher trophic levels. To investigate the feeding strategies of E. superba from the eastern South Shetland Islands,fatty acid biomarkers, stable isotope signatures, and an incubation experiment were conducted. The results of the incubation experiment proved that adult E. superba mainly fed on 2–20 μm particles, demonstrating the importance of nanoplankton in their diet. Moreover, significant positive relationships between δ15 N and body size demonstrated that size-related dietary shifts were present in E. superba. Evidence from principal component analysis and the C16:1ω7/C18:4ω3 ratio showed that juveniles preferentially fed on dinoflagellates and adults were more likely to feed on diatoms. Fatty acid profiles in adult E. superba roughly mirrored the different trophic conditions and feeding strategies between stations. Adult E. superba at Stas D2-07, D5-07, DA-01 and DA-02 exhibited elevated levels of C16:1ω7, C18:4ω3, C18:1ω9 and C18:1ω9/C18:1ω7, indicating higher levels of feeding on both phytoplankton and higher trophic diets. In contrast, adult E. superba at Stas D1-03 and D1-04 were characterized by high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids ratios and low levels of C16:1ω7,C18:1ω7, C18:4ω3, C18:1ω9 and total fatty acids. We inferred that adult krill at Stas D1-03 and D1-04 still suffered from difficult dietary conditions after overwintering. The different dietary conditions between stations suggest a highly plastic feeding strategy of E. superba in the eastern South Shetland Islands.     

Vegetable oil spills on salt marsh sediments; comparison between sunflower and linseed oils

The effects of a simulated spill of sunflower oil in salt marsh sediments were compared with an experiment with linseed oil. Sunflower and linseed oil penetrated the sediments at the same rates but different adsorption of the oils onto sediment particles resulted in the establishment of anaerobic conditions at shallower depths in sediments contaminated with linseed oil than with sunflower oil. The total lipid content of sunflower oil contaminated sediments remained almost stable for 6 months, whilst only 40% of linseed oil remained in the sediment after 2 months. Numbers of culturable heterotrophic bacteria and aerobic oil degrading bacteria in muddy sediment increased rapidly in response to the presence of the oils but bacterial numbers in sandy sediments increased more slowly for sunflower oil. Changes in fatty acid composition indicate similar degradation pathways for both oils but sunflower oil degraded more slowly than linseed oil and thus has the potential for longer lasting effects in marine environments.     

Importance of seagrass as a carbon source for heterotrophic bacteria in a subtropical estuary (Florida Bay)

A stable carbon isotope approach was taken to identify potential organic matter sources incorporated into biomass by the heterotrophic bacterial community of Florida Bay, a subtropical estuary with a recent history of seagrass loss and phytoplankton blooms. To gain a more complete understanding of bacterial carbon cycling in seagrass estuaries, this study focused on the importance of seagrass-derived organic matter to pelagic, seagrass epiphytic, and sediment surface bacteria. Particulate organic matter (POM), seagrass epiphytic, seagrass (Thalassia testudinum) leaf, and sediment surface samples were collected from four Florida Bay locations with historically different organic matter inputs, macrophyte densities, and primary productivities. Bulk (observed and those reported previously) and compound-specific bacterial fatty acid δ¹³C values were used to determine important carbon sources to the estuary and benthic and pelagic heterotrophic bacteria. The δ¹³C values of T. testudinum green leaves with epiphytes removed ranged from −9.9 to −6.9‰. Thalassia testudinum δ¹³C values were significant more enriched in ¹³C than POM, epiphytic, and sediment samples, which ranged from −16.4 to −13.5, −16.2 to −9.6, and −16.7 to −11.0‰, respectively. Bacterial fatty acid δ¹³C values (measured for br14:0, 15:0, i15:0, a15:0, br17:0, and 17:0) ranged from −25.5 to −8.2‰. Assuming a −3‰ carbon source fractionation from fatty acid to whole bacteria, pelagic, epiphytic, and sediment bacterial δ¹³C values were generally more depleted in ¹³C than T. testudinum δ¹³C values, more enriched in ¹³C than reported δ¹³C values for mangroves, and similar to reported δ¹³C values for algae. IsoSource mixing model results indicated that organic matter derived from T. testudinum was incorporated by both benthic and pelagic bacterial communities, where 13–67% of bacterial δ¹³C values could arise from consumption of seagrass-derived organic matter. The IsoSource model, however, failed to discriminate clearly the fraction of algal (0–86%) and mangrove (0–42%) organic matter incorporated by bacterial communities. These results indicate that pelagic, epiphytic, and sediment surface bacteria consumed organic matter from a variety of sources. Bacterial communities incorporated consistently seagrass-derived organic matter, the dominant macrophyte in Florida Bay, but seagrass δ¹³C values alone could not account fully for bacterial δ¹³C values.     

Fatty acid profiles of marine benthic microorganisms isolated from the continental slope of bay of bengal: a possible implications in the benthic Food web

Marine bacteria, actinomycetes and fungal strains were isolated from continental slope sediment of the Bay of Bengal and studied for fatty acid profile to investigate their involvement in the benthic food-web. Fifteen different saturated and unsaturated fatty acids from bacterial isolates, 14 from actinomycetes and fungal isolates were detected. The total unsaturated fatty acids in bacterial isolates ranged from 11.85 to 37.26%, while the saturated fatty acid ranged between 42.34 and 80.74%. In actinomycetes isolates, total unsaturated fatty acids varied from 27.86 to 38.85% and saturated fatty acids ranged from 35.29 to 51.25%. In fungal isolates unsaturated fatty acids ranged between 44.62 and 65.52% while saturated FA ranged from 20.80 to 46.30%. The higher percentages of unsaturated fatty acids from the microbial isolates are helpful in anticipating the active participation in the benthic food-web of Bay of Bengal.     

Microbial Diversity in Nankai Trough Sediments at a Depth of 3,843 m

Dense populations of bivalves, primarily Calyptogena sp., were observed at cold seeps of the Nankai Trough. Bacterial input to the sediment was estimated through determination of phospholipid ester-linked fatty acid (PLFA) and DNA profiles. Results indicated a bacterial biomass of 10⁹ cells (g dry wt)^-1 while individual fatty acid profiles revealed a predominance of monounsaturated fatty acids, mainly 18:1 isomers. The presence of these fatty acids can be interpreted to reflect a response to low temperature and a predominance of psychrophilic bacteria. DNA fragments encoding bacterial ribosomal RNA small-subunit sequences (16S rDNA) were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction method using DNA extracted directly from the sediment samples. From the sequencing results, at least 19 kinds of bacterial 16S rDNAs related to mostly the Proteobacteria and a few gram-positive bacteria were identified. These results suggest that the bacterial community in the Nankai Trough sediments consists of mainly bacteria belonging to the Proteobacteria , , and subdivisions. Bacteria belonging to the and subdivisions, which are known to include epibiont and sulfate reducing bacteria, respectively, were mostly detected in the sediment obtained from inside the area of the Calyptogena community, and the -Proteobacteria may function to supply reduced sulfur to bacterial endosymbionts of Calyptogena.     

Lipid biomarkers for anaerobic oxidation of methane and sulphate reduction in cold seep sediments of Nyegga pockmarks (Norwegian margin): discrepancies in contents and carbon isotope signatures

Distributions and carbon isotopic compositions of microbial lipid biomarkers were investigated in sediment cores from the G11 and G12 pockmarks in the Nyegga sector of the Storegga Slide on the mid-Norwegian margin to explore differences in depth zonation, type and carbon assimilation mode of anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea (ANMEs) and associated sulphate-reducing bacteria responsible for anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) in these cold seep environments. While the G11 site is characterised by black reduced sediments colonized by gastropods and Siboglinidae tubeworms, the G12 site has black reduced sediments devoid of fauna but surrounded by a peripheral occurrence of gastropods and white filamentous microbial mats. At both sites, bulk sediments contained abundant archaeal and bacterial lipid biomarkers substantially depleted in ¹³C, consisting mainly of isoprenoidal hydrocarbons and dialkyl glycerol diethers, fatty acids and non-isoprenoidal monoalkylglycerol ethers. At the G11 site, down-core profiles revealed that lipid biomarkers were in maximum abundance from 10 cm depth to the core bottom at 16 cm depth, associated with δ¹³C values of ?57 to ?136‰. At the G12 site, by contrast, lipid biomarkers were in high abundance in the upper 5 cm sediment layer, associated with δ¹³C values of ?43 to ?133‰. This suggests that, as expected from the benthic fauna characteristics of the sites, AOM takes place mainly at depth in the G11 pockmark but just below the seafloor in the G12 pockmark. These patterns can be explained largely by variable fluid flow rates. Furthermore, at both sites, a dominance of ANME-2 archaea accompanied by their bacterial partners is inferred based on lipid biomarker distributions and carbon isotope signatures, which is in agreement with recently published DNA analyses for the G11 pockmark. However, the present data reveal high discrepancies in the contents and δ¹³C values for both archaeal and bacterial lipid profiles, implying the possible involvement of at least two distinct AOM-related microbial consortia at the inferred AOM depth zonation of G11 and G12 pockmark sediments. In both sediment cores, the δ¹³C profiles for most archaeal lipids suggest a direct assimilation of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in addition to methane by ANMEs (chemoautotrophy); constant and highly depleted δ¹³C profiles for PMI:3, an archaeal lipid biomarker presumably related to ANME-2, suggest a direct assimilation of ¹³C-depleted methane-derived carbon via AOM (methanotrophy). Evidently, the common approach of investigating lipid biomarker contents and δ¹³C signatures in cold seep sediments does not suffice to precisely discriminate between the carbon assimilation mode for each ANME archaeal group and associated bacteria. Rather, this needs to be combined with further specific labelling studies including different carbon sources (methane carbon, methane-derived organic intermediates and DIC) in order to unravel the metabolic pathways of each microbial consortium involved in AOM (ANME-1 vs. ANME-2 vs. ANME-3 archaeal group and associated bacteria).     

Apparent Microfloral Response to Organic Degradation on Bathyal ­Seafloor: An Analysis Based on Sediment Fatty Acids

Abstract. Abyssal microfloral succession induced by experimental organic degradation was investigated. Notable changes in amounts and compositions of short-chain (C9-20) sediment fatty acids were observed, which indicated the shift of sediment microflora. Biomarker fatty acids for methanotrophs and sulfate-reducing bacteria dominated. Resultant fatty acid compositions were most closely related to those from a nearby methane seep harboring a dense Calyptogena colony; the clams were also seen in close vicinity of the deployed organic mass. These observations suggest that the organic degradation on the bathyal seafloor stimulates the formation of methanotrophic and thio­trophic microflora, resulting in the formation of a methane-seep-type benthic community.     

闽南近海尖头斜齿鲨肝油脂肪酸组成的季节变化

闽南近海尖头斜齿鲨Scoliodon sorrakowah肝油的脂肪酸组成中，主要的饱和脂肪酸包括C14：0，C16：0，C18：0；单不饱和脂肪酸包括C16：1，C18：1ω7，C20：1；多不饱和脂肪酸包括C20：4ω6，C20：5ω3，C22：5ω3和C22：6ω3。尖头斜齿鲨肝油总饱和脂肪酸和总单不饱和脂肪酸含量在6月份降至最低值，8-9月升至最高值，总饱和脂肪酸的季节变化规律主要由C16：0决定，总单不饱和脂肪酸的变化主要由C16：1和C18：1ω9决定，总多不饱和脂肪酸含量在6月份达到最高值，8-9用降到最低值，11月份又上升至一定水平，这种变化主要由C22：6ω3决定。     

南沙海洋沉积物中脂肪酸地球化学研究

本文对南沙海洋岩芯和层样品中的脂肪酸进行了分离和鉴定，研究了脂肪酸的组成和分布特征，探讨了沉积物中有机质的来源及脂肪酸的早期成岩变化。结果表明，脂肪酸的组成和分布，反映了沉积有机质主要来自浮游生物和细菌，陆源高等植物的贡献较少；低碳及不饱和脂肪酸相对含量随埋深降低可能与化学和生物化学降解作用有关。／     

Microbial community structure analysis of euxinic sediments using phospholipid fatty acid biomarkers

Microbial community structure in sediments, as determined by the phospholipid ester-linked fatty acid (PLFA) analysis, collected from Kojima Lake during summer and winter was described with reference to the environmental quality of the lake. A characteristic feature of the study area was the persistence of anoxia in summer and winter in the deeper area, and the sediments were under the reduced condition with high levels of sulfide, chemical oxygen demand, and low values of oxidation-reduction potential. PLFA profiles of the sediment were dominated by the saturated, branched and monounsaturated fatty acids. Small amounts (less than 5% of the total PLFA) of polyunsaturated fatty acids (biomarker fatty acids of microeukaryotes) and long chain fatty acids were detected in sediments. Total PLFA concentrations in sediments were higher in summer than in winter. Microbial community structure in the lake sediments was predominated by the prokaryotes, as evidenced from the larger amounts of bacterial biomarker fatty acids in the range of C₁₀ to C₂₀. The presence of signature fatty acids of sulfate reducing bacteria in sediments was consistent with the high levels of sulfide in the sediment and anoxic condition in the study area. PLFA showed significant differences in PLFA profiles between shallow and deeper areas, indicating the differences in the lipid contributing communities. However, no such a significant difference was observed between summer and winter.     

气相色谱法分析小球藻脂肪酸的组成

利用超声波破碎技术在1 mol/L HCl-CH3OH 溶液中提取小球藻脂肪酸并酯化,并用气相色谱和气质联用仪对其进行定量和定性分析,鉴定出 C14:0, C16:2, C16:1, C16:0, C18:2, C18:1, C18:3, C18:0, C20:0共9种脂肪酸,其中不饱和脂肪酸占总脂肪酸的65%.6份平行样的相对标准偏差为6.04%~9.84%,样品加标回收率范围为77.0%~122.6%,各种脂肪酸甲酯的仪器检测限<0.3 ng.初步探讨了脂肪酸甲酯在弱极性色谱柱上的保留时间规律     

Biological community and sediment fatty acids associated with the deep-sea whale skeleton at the Torishima Seamount

A whale skeleton was discovered on the flat-topped summit of the Torishima Seamount, 4037 m deep, northwest Pacific Ocean, during a dive by the submersibleShinkai 6500 in 1992. The skeleton was encrusted with mytilid mussels and harbored benthic animals such as galatheid crabs, echinoderms, sea anemones, and unidentifiable tube worms. The whale skeleton was revisited in 1993. Sediment samples were collected to outline the chemical-microbial distribution in the sediment associated with the skeleton. In the sediment, there was a gradient of sulfide concentration with the peak of 20 n moles per gram sediment just beneath a bone. Corresponding gradients were observed in thiosulfate-oxidizing enzyme activity, bacterial colony counts and fatty acid amounts. Direct analysis of the sediment fatty acid composition suggested the occurrence of methane-oxidizing bacteria and sulfur-reducing bacteria in close association with the whale skeleton. These observations imply that the methane and sulfides were formed during the saprogenic process and utilized for the chemosynthetic bacterial production to feed the whale skeleton-animal community.     

First biomarker evidence for methane oxidation at cold seeps in the Southeast Atlantic (REGAB pockmark)

Sediment cores from the REGAB pockmark, an active cold seep area in the southeast Atlantic, were analysed for their lipid biomarker distribution and associated stable carbon isotopic composition. Substantial amounts of diagnostic archaeal lipids were found, consisting mainly of archaeol, sn-2 hydroxyarchaeol and crocetane. All archaeal lipids were profoundly depleted in ¹³C with δ¹³C values as low as −133‰. Concurrently, abundant monoalkylglycerolethers (MAGE), assigned to sulphate-reducing bacteria, were identified and showed strong ¹³C-depletions (δ¹³C between −86‰ and −95‰). The structural and isotopic patterns of these microbial lipids provided compelling evidence for anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) occurring in REGAB sediments, mediated by archaea and sulphate reducing bacteria. Lipid fingerprints indicated that anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME-2) and sulphate-reducing bacteria from the Desulfosarcina/Desulfococcus cluster are the dominant AOM assemblages. Depth profiles implied that highest AOM takes place below the upper 2 cm, mainly in the 6–12 cm depth interval. Significant abundances of ¹³C-depleted diploptene and 4α-methylsterols were found as well, inferring that aerobic methanotrophy occurs in the surface sediment interval. This first biomarker study at the recently investigated cold seeps in the SE Atlantic expand on existing work on AOM settings and add new evidence for aerobic and anaerobic methanotrophic communities occurring in close vicinity.     

Assessment of the effects of hydrocarbon contamination on the sedimentary bacterial communities and determination of the polar lipid fraction purity: Relevance of intact phospholipid analysis

This in situ study reports on the relevance of intact phospholipids as new biomarkers and highlights the limits of the classical fatty acid analysis after the hydrolysis of the polar lipid fraction. The analysis of polar lipid fractions revealed significant contributions of marine macrophytes with either non-phospholipid compounds (sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol) or with both non-bacterial phospholipid classes (phosphatidylcholine) and non-bacterial phospholipid molecular species (some molecular species of phosphatidylglycerol). The analysis of intact phospholipids showed also the predominance of gram-negative bacteria in sediments whereas the analysis of fatty acids alone cannot confirm such information. Lastly, as regard to the effects of petroleum hydrocarbons on the sedimentary bacterial communities, we observed a higher degree of saturation of the fatty acyl chains of the phospholipids extracted from sediment exposed to a massive and chronic crude oil contamination. Such a result was interpreted as an adaptive response resulting in higher membrane rigidity of the bacterial communities.     

Fatty acids and sterols as source markers of organic matter in sediments of the North Carolina continental slope

To estimate the source and diagenetic state of organic matter reaching bottom sediments, fatty acids and sterols were measured in unconsolidated surface material (flocs) at 12 sites ranging from 600 to 2000 m across the mid-Atlantic continental slope off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Total free and esterefied fatty acids were similar in distribution and concentration to other coastal systems, with values ranging from 0.64 to 46.52 μg mg⁻¹ organic carbon (1.10–68.85 μg g⁻¹ dry sediment). Although shallow (600 m) stations contained significantly greater fatty acid concentrations than deep (> 1400m) stations, high variability observed at mid-depth (800 m) collections precluded a consistent relationship between total fatty acid concentration and station depth. At three sites where underlying sediments were also collected, decreases in total fatty acids, reduced amounts of polyenoic acids and significant presence of bacterial fatty acid suggest rapid reworking of labile organic material that reaches the sediment surface. The distribution of sterols was remarkably consistent among all sites even though there were large variations in concentrations (1.8–20.7 μg mg⁻¹ organic carbon). Sterol composition indicated phytoplankton, principally diatoms and dinoflagellates, as the principal source of labile organic matter to sediments, together with a significant input of cholest-5-en-3β-ol typical of zooplankton and their feeding activity. A minor but widespread terrigenous input was also evident based upon significant concentrations of sterols dominant in vascular plants.