@article{9856b447a19b41f9aaf3631f879edd43,
title = "The distribution of microbial taxa in the subsurface water of the kalahari shield, South Africa",
abstract = "Microbial communities within deep subsurface environments were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene cloning. Clone libraries from 27 borehole fluid, 7 mining-contaminated, and 5 rock samples were compared. Borehole fluids derived from deep fractures were populated by microbial communities with low diversity with an average of 11 and 5 bacterial and archaeal OTUs respectively. Low taxa richness was likely driven by limited biogeochemical reactions available for growth and not extreme parameters such as pH and temperature. Novel taxa of Firmicutes were discovered, commonly found in warm, slightly alkaline, anoxic fracture fluids. Highly divergent lineages of Archaea, unique to South African deep subsurface fracture fluids, are also described. Clone library clustering analyses based on LIBSHUFF phylogenetic relatedness revealed distinct groups of samples corresponding with sample source and geochemistry.",
keywords = "16S rRNA gene, Firmicutes, Groundwater, Microbial ecology, Subsurface",
author = "Gihring, {T. M.} and Moser, {D. P.} and Lin, {L. H.} and M. Davidson and Onstott, {Tullis C.} and L. Morgan and M. Milleson and Kieft, {T. L.} and E. Trimarco and Balkwill, {D. L.} and Dollhopf, {M. E.}",
note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA LExEn program (EAR-9714214 and EAR-9978267) to T.C. Onstott and by an REU grant (EAR-0244130) from the National Science Foundation to Univ. of Tennessee (S.M. Pfiffner). We gratefully acknowledge the support of Gold Fields Ltd., Harmony Gold Mines and Anglogold, as well as the management and staff of Drie-fontein, Kloof, Tau Tona, Mponeng, Evander, Beatrix, Merriespruit and Masimong gold mines and SASOL Coal Mine. We thank G. Southam, G. Wanger, S. McCuddy, A. Welty, S. Devlin, A. Bonin, S. Knoessen, E. Trimarco, B. Tipple, J. Hoek, B.J. Baker, T.J. Pray, B. Gilhooly, D. Opperman and K. Takai for assistance in the collection, preservation, and analysis of fracture water samples. We are especially indebted to Rob Wilson and colleagues at Turgis Ltd., Arnand vanHeerden of Kloof Mine, Dawie Nel of Driefontein Gold Mine, Colin Ralston and Walter Seymore of Evander Gold Mine, Jane Larkin of Merriespruit Mine, George Gilchrest of Tau Tona, Dave Kershaw, and Hugh Cole of Mponeng and Bob Bellamy of Beatrix Gold Mine. A special thanks goes to Damian Smith of Northam Platinum Mine for access to some remarkably unusual samples.",
year = "2006",
month = sep,
doi = "10.1080/01490450600875696",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "23",
pages = "415--430",
journal = "Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, Volume 5: Water Pollution",
issn = "1433-6863",
number = "6",
}