With the goal of understanding the microbiological and geochemical processes controlling subsurface environments, iron-reducing groundwater samples were collected from the Rifle Integrated Field Research Challenge site and characterized using community proteogenomics. We reconstructed a total of 86 genomes including members of the Proteobacteria, Bacteriodetes, and from the uncultivated BD1-5, OP11, and OD1 candidate divisions. Proteomic investigations corroborated a metabolic network capable of oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, and iron transformation. Moreover, dissimilatory sulfate reducing proteins were detected throughout iron-reduction, suggesting that biogenic aqueous sulfide may also contribute to iron reduction in the aquifer. Our analyses revealed specific members of the candidate divisions are fermentative and contain novel sulfur hydrogenases. Cryptic growth by these organisms suggests that resource turnover can be decoupled from existing acetate amendment and external terminal electron accepting processes. The results of this study demonstrate the utility of short read sequencing for detailed genome-centric metabolic profiling of diverse subsurface assemblages.

Genome-centered metabolic profiling of complex subsurface communities-exploiting the capacity of next generation sequencing-based metagenomics

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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