Lipid and carbon isotopic evidence of methane-oxidizing and sulfate-reducing bacteria in association with gas hydrates from the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

An integrated lipid biomarker–carbon isotope approach reveals new insight to microbial methane oxidation in the Gulf of Mexico gas-hydrate system. Hydrate-bearing and hydrate-free sediments were collected from the Gulf of Mexico slope using a research submersible. Phospholipid fatty acids consist mainly of C₁₆–C₁₈ compounds, which are largely derived from bacteria. The phospholipid fatty acids suggest that total biomass is enhanced 11–30-fold in gas-hydrate–bearing sediment compared to hydrate-free sediment. Lipid biomarkers indicative of sulfate-reducing bacteria are strongly depleted in ¹³C (δ¹³C = −48‰ to −70‰) in the hydrate-bearing samples, suggesting that they are involved in the oxidation of methane (δ¹³C = −47‰ for thermogenic methane and −70‰ for biogenic methane). Isotopic properties of other biomarkers suggest that sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (Beggiatoa) may also contribute to the lipid pool in hydrate-bearing samples, which are characterized by less negative δ¹³C values (to −11.2‰). In the hydrate-free sample, fatty acid biomarkers have δ¹³C values of −27.6‰ to −39.6‰, indicating that crude oil (average ∼−27‰) or terrestrial organic carbon (average ∼−20‰) are the likely carbon sources. Our results provide the first lipid biomarker–stable isotope evidence that sulfate- reducing bacteria play an important role in anaerobic methane oxidation in the Gulf of Mexico gas hydrates. The coupled activities of methane-oxidizing and sulfate-reducing organisms contribute to the development of ecosystems in deep-sea environments and result in sequestration of carbon as buried organic carbon and authigenic carbonates. These have implications for studying climate change based on carbon budgets.