Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada.
FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2018 Jun 1;94(6). doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiy073.
Little is known about the microbial ecology of the subsurface oil sands in Northern Alberta, Canada. Biodegradation of low molecular weight hydrocarbons by indigenous microbes has enriched high molecular weight hydrocarbons, resulting in highly viscous bitumen. This extreme subsurface environment is further characterized by low nutrient availability and limited access to water, thus resulting in low microbial biomass. Improved DNA isolation protocols and increasingly sensitive sequencing methods have allowed an in-depth investigation of the microbial ecology of this unique subsurface environmental niche. Community analysis was performed on core samples (n = 62) that were retrieved from two adjacent sites located in the Athabasca Oil Sands at depths from 220 to 320 m below the surface. Microbial communities were dominated by aerobic taxa, including Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter. Only one core sample microbial community was dominated by anaerobic taxa, including the methanogen Methanoculleus, as well as Desulfomicrobium and Thauera. Although the temperature of the bitumen-containing subsurface is low (8°C), two core samples had high fractions of the potentially thermophilic taxon, Thermus. Predominance of aerobic taxa in the subsurface suggests the potential for in situ aerobic hydrocarbon degradation; however, more studies are required to determine the functional role of these taxa within this unique environment.
关于加拿大阿尔伯塔省北部油砂地下的微生物生态学知之甚少。土著微生物对低分子量烃的生物降解使高分子量烃富集，从而产生高度粘稠的沥青。这种极端的地下环境还具有养分供应不足和水的获取有限的特点，从而导致微生物生物量较低。改进的 DNA 分离方案和日益敏感的测序方法使我们能够深入研究这一独特地下环境小生境的微生物生态学。对取自两个相邻地点的 62 个岩芯样本进行了群落分析，这些样本取自阿萨巴斯卡油砂，位于地表以下 220 至 320 米的深度。微生物群落主要由好氧类群组成，包括假单胞菌属和不动杆菌属。只有一个岩芯样本的微生物群落主要由厌氧类群组成，包括产甲烷菌 Methanoculleus 以及脱硫微菌属和陶厄氏菌属。尽管含沥青的地下温度较低（8°C），但有两个岩芯样本中具有较高比例的潜在嗜热类群 Thermus。地下好氧类群的优势表明原位好氧烃降解的潜力；然而，需要更多的研究来确定这些类群在这种独特环境中的功能作用。
