Shales across scales: Identifying conserved biogeochemistry and microbial metabolism across geographically distinct deep subsurface ecosystems
EMSL Project ID
50214
Abstract
The hydraulic fracturing of hydrocarbon bearing shales to yield oil and gas is now a critical part of the US energy portfolio. Microorganisms present in injected fluids colonize these environments, leading to economic concerns associated with biofouling, sulfidogenesis, and corrosion. However, the development of these microbial communities enables us to investigate questions associated with microbial biogeography, the microbially catalyzed cycling of carbon in the deep biosphere, and adaptation of microorganisms to combined stresses (salinity, pressure, temperature) in the deep biosphere. Here we propose a series of research aims to investigate (1) metabolite pools in geographically distinct shales that may be linked to conserved microbial community function across the US, (2) the role of viruses-host interactions in these systems that directly affects community function and persistence, and (3) metabolic and physiological strategies that enable microorganisms to persist in these extreme environments. For this work we request metabolomics and proteomic tools at EMSL to complement ongoing laboratory experimentation at OSU and more than 50 produced fluid metagenomic datasets generated by JGI. Metabolite analyses will be performed on produced water samples collected from diverse fractured shale environments across the US, and will offer new insights into the range (and potentially conserved nature) of biogeochemical processes occurring in these ecosystems. We hypothesize that the release of these metabolites into the extracellular environment is at least partly mediated by viral lysis of microorganisms. Laboratory studies will be performed using our extensive library of shale isolate microorganisms to determine how cells are lysed, and how this process affects metabolite concentrations and profiles in produced fluids. This task will also offer new insights into cryptic carbon cycling in the deep biosphere that likely sustains microbial populations over extended periods of time. Our final task will also leverage our microbial isolate library to better understand the metabolic and physiological strategies employed by microorganisms to survive down-hole conditions characterized by high pressure, temperature, and salinity. The role of osmoprotectants and formation of biofilms in response to these stresses may be particularly important for both ecosystem function, and the extraction of oil and gas from these systems. Overall, this project will offer new insights into carbon cycling and microbial community development and interactions in the deep biosphere. Knowledge gained may provide new opportunities for harnessing (or better controlling) microbial metabolism in these environments.
Project Details
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2018-10-01
End Date
2021-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)
Team Members
Related Publications
Booker A.E., D.W. Hoyt, T. Meulia, E.K. Eder, C.D. Nicora, S.O. Purvine, and R. Daly, et al. 2019. "Deep-Subsurface Pressure Stimulates Metabolic Plasticity in Shale-Colonizing Halanaerobium spp." Applied and Environmental Microbiology 85, no. 12:e00018-19. PNNL-SA-144542. doi:10.1128/AEM.00018-19
Booker A.E., E.K. Eder, A.R. Wong, D.W. Hoyt, and M.J. Wilkins. 06/22/2019. "Deep Subsurface Pressure Stimulates Metabolic Versatility in Shale-Colonizing Halanaerobium." Abstract submitted to American Society for Microbiology Conference, San Francisco, California. PNNL-SA-140940.
Borton M., R. Daly, B. O'Banion, D.W. Hoyt, D.N. Marcus, S. Welch, and S.S. Hastings, et al. 2018. "Comparative genomics and physiology of the genus Methanohalophilus, a prevalent methanogen in hydraulically fractured shale." Environmental Microbiology 20, no. 12:4596-4611. PNNL-SA-138432. doi:10.1111/1462-2920.14467