Cryptic iron cycling influenced by organic carbon availability in a seasonally stratified lake.

Abstract

Iron cycling including phototrophic Fe(II) oxidation has been observed in multiple permanently stratified meromictic lakes, yet less focus has been on dimictic lakes which seasonally overturn and are vastly more common. Here we investigated iron cycling in a dimictic lake, Großes Heiliges Meer in northwest Germany, using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, as well as in-situ and lab-based experiments. Bacterial community composition in the lake follows geochemical gradients and differs markedly between oxic and anoxic conditions. Potential iron-metabolizing bacteria were found mostly in anoxic conditions at 7 and 8 m depth and were comprised of taxa from the genera Chlorobium, Thiodictyon, Sideroxydans, Geobacter and Rhodoferrax. We were able to recreate active iron cycling 1) with an ex-situ microbial community from 8 m depth and 2) with a successful microbial enrichment culture from 7 m depth. Varying the light and organic carbon availability in lab-based experiments showed that Fe(III) reduction overshadows Fe(II) oxidation leading to a cryptic iron cycle. Overall we could demonstrate that microbial iron cycling can be a key biogeochemical process in dimictic lakes despite regular disturbance, and that complex environmental factors like organic substrates control the balance between Fe(II) oxidation and Fe(III) reduction.