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Coupled laboratory and field investigations resolve microbial interactions that underpin persistence in hydraulically fractured shales

2018; National Academy of Sciences; Volume: 115; Issue: 28 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1073/pnas.1800155115

1091-6490

Mikayla Borton, David Hoyt, Simon Roux, Rebecca A. Daly, Susan A. Welch, Carrie Nicora, Samuel Purvine, Elizabeth Eder, Andrea Hanson, Julie Sheets, David M. L. Morgan, Richard Wolfe, Shikha Sharma, Timothy R. Carr, David R. Cole, Paula Mouser, Mary Lipton, Michael J. Wilkins, Kelly Wrighton,

Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology

Significance Microorganisms persisting in hydraulically fractured shales must maintain osmotic balance in hypersaline fluids, gain energy in the absence of electron acceptors, and acquire carbon and nitrogen to synthesize cell building blocks. We provide evidence that that cofermentation of amino acids (Stickland reaction) meets all of these organismal needs, thus functioning as a keystone metabolism in enriched and natural microbial communities from hydraulically fractured shales. This amino acid-based metabolic network can be rationally designed to optimize biogenic methane yields and minimize undesirable chemistries in this engineered ecosystem. Our proposed ecological framework extends to the human gut and other protein-rich ecosystems, where the role of Stickland fermentations and their derived syntrophies play unrecognized roles in carbon and nitrogen turnover.