Research
Theme 1 & 2
www.darwincenter.nl
Project 1053

Ecology and lipid chemistry of marine Crenarchaeota in present and past marine environments
Project leader: Prof. dr. J. S. Sinninghe Damsté
Researcher(s): Dr. A. Pitcher
Starting date: 1-may-06

Abstract
Planktonic archaea form one of the most abundant groups of unicellular organisms in today’s oceans and can form 20% of all prokaryotic cells. We have investigated their lipid composition and showed that these archaea produce a unique membrane lipid, called crenarchaeol. Field studies in the North Sea showed that the abundance of crenarchaeotal lipids mimics that of the crenarchaeotal cell abundances determined by molecular ecological techniques. Furthermore, we have shown that crenarchaeol is preserved in sediments up to 140 million years old. As it now becomes apparent that crenarchaeol is involved in nitrification, we can use their lipids to trace the process of archaeal nitrification. In this part of the program we will study the lipid chemistry and stable isotopic fractionation of isolated and enriched marine Crenarchaeota. Fields studies using Q-PCR and CARDFISH in combination with lipid and isotope analysis will be undertaken in the coastal and open ocean to examine the relative importance of archaeal nitrification. Finally, we will examine the potential of crenarchaeotal lipids to trace past nitrification rates and 13C of dissolved inorganic carbon.

Publications
Pitcher, A., Schouten, S., Sinninghe Damsté, J.S. (2009). In situ production of crenarchaeol in two California hot springs . Applied and Environmental Microbiology75 (13): 4443-4451.
Darwin Center authors: Pitcher A., Schouten S., Sinninghe Damsté J. S.

Pitcher, A., Hopmans, E.C., Schouten, S., Sinninghe Damsté, J.S. (2009). Separation of core and intact polar archaeal tetraether lipids using silica columns: Insights into living and fossil biomass contributions . Organic Geochemistry40 (1): 12-19.
Darwin Center authors: Hopmans E. C., Pitcher A., Schouten S., Sinninghe Damsté J. S.

Pitcher A., Rychlik N., Hopmans E.C., Spieck E., Rijpstra I.C., Ossebaar J., Wagner M., Schouten S., Sinninghe Damsté J.S. (2010). Crenarchaeol dominates the membrane lipids of "Candidatus Nitrososphaera gargensis", a thermophilic Group I.1b Archaeon. ISME Journal542-552.
Darwin Center authors: Hopmans E. C., Pitcher A., Schouten S., Sinninghe Damsté J. S.

A.M. Pitcher (2011). Intact polar lipids of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea: Structural diversity and application in molecular ecology. .
Darwin Center authors: Pitcher A.

Pitcher, A., Hopmans, E.C., Mosier, A.C., Park, S.J., Rhee, S-.K., Francis, C.A., Schouten, S., Sinninghe Damsté, J.S. (2011). Core and intact polar glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraether lipids of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea enriched from marine and estuarine sediments.. Appl. Env. Microbiol.77: 3468-3477.
Darwin Center authors: Hopmans E. C., Pitcher A., Schouten S., Sinninghe Damsté J. S.

M. Mußmann, I. Brito, A. Pitcher, J.S. Sinninghe Damsté, R. Hatzenpichler, A. Richter, J.L. Nielsen, P.H. Nielsen, A. Müller, H. Daims, M. Wagner, I.M Head (2011). Abundant activated sludge thaumarchaeotes express amoA but do not live primarily from autotrophic ammonia oxidation.. PNAS108: 16771-16776.
Darwin Center authors: Pitcher A., Sinninghe Damsté J. S.

Pitcher, A., Villanueva, L., Hopmans, E.C. , Schouten, S., Reichart, G.-J., Sinninghe Damsté, J.S. (2011). Niche segregation of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and anammox bacteria in the Arabian Sea oxygen minimum zone . ISME JournalVolume 5, Issue 12: 1896-1904.
Darwin Center authors: Hopmans E. C., Pitcher A., Reichart G. J., Schouten S., Sinninghe Damsté J. S., Villanueva L.

Pitcher A., Hopmans E.C., Mosier A.C., Park S.J., Rhee S-.K., Francis C.A., Schouten S., Sinninghe Damsté J.S. (2011). Core and intact polar glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraether lipids of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea enriched from marine and estuarine sediments.. Applied and Environmental Microbiology77: 3468-3477.
Darwin Center authors: van Boxel J. H., Hopmans E. C., Pitcher A., Schouten S., Sinninghe Damsté J. S.

Tierney, J.E., Schouten, S., Pitcher, A., Hopmans, E.C., Sinninghe Damsté, J.S. (2012). Core and intact polar glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) in Sand Pond, Warwick, Rhode Island (USA): Insights into the origin of lacustrine GDGTs. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta77: 561-581.
Darwin Center authors: Hopmans E. C., Pitcher A., Schouten S., Sinninghe Damsté J. S.

Veuger, B., Pitcher, A., Schouten, S., Sinninghe Damsté, J.S., Middelburg, J.J. (2013). Nitrification and growth of autotrophic nitrifying bacteria and Thaumarchaeota in the coastal North Sea..
Darwin Center authors: Middelburg J.J., Pitcher A., Schouten S., Sinninghe Damsté J. S., Veuger B.