Abstract:

We investigated the microbial uptake of methanol and methylamine in the water column of northern Gulf of Mexico to elucidate the role of C1 compounds as microbial carbon and energy source. The dataset reports the geochemistry (e.g., nutrients, DOC), rates of bacterial production, radiotracer derived rates of methylamine and methanol assimilation and oxidation form different sites of Gulf of Mexico.

Suggested Citation:

Samantha Joye. 2018. Methanol and methylamine oxidation rate measurements, geochemistry, and bacterial production in the northern Gulf of Mexico water column, May 2015 to August 2016. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7SF2TPP

Publications:

Zhuang, G.-C., Peña-Montenegro, T. D., Montgomery, A., Hunter, K. S., & Joye, S. B. (2018). Microbial metabolism of methanol and methylamine in the Gulf of Mexico: insight into marine carbon and nitrogen cycling. Environmental Microbiology. doi:10.1111/1462-2920.14406

Purpose:

To investigate the role of C1 compounds as microbial carbon and energy source in the water column of the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Data Parameters and Units:

Sampling date (DD/MM/YYYY); Depth (m); Salinity (‰); Chlorophyll (μg/L); Nitrate (μmol/L); Ammonium (μmol/L); Phosphate (μmol/L); Dissolved organic carbon (DOC, μmol/L); Methanol (nmol/L); Bacterial production (ng C L-1 d-1); Methanol assimilation rate constant (k) (d-1); Methanol oxidation rate constant (k) (d-1); Methylamine assimilation rate constant (k) (d-1); Methylamine oxidation rate constant (k) (d-1); Methanol assimilation rate (nmol L-1 d-1); Methanol oxidation rate (nmol L-1 d-1); Methylamine assimilation rate (nmol L-1 d-1); Methylamine oxidation rate (nmol L-1 d-1); Site, Latitude (decimal degrees); Longitude (decimal degrees), NA (not analyzed); BD (Below detection limit). Trimethylamine (TMA); All means and standard deviations are calculated from three replicates.

Methods:

Radiotracer approach with the addition of 14C-labelled methanol and methylamine to the seawater was used to determine the microbial assimilation of methanol or methylamine into particulate cell biomass (as a carbon source), and the oxidation of methanol or methylamine to carbon dioxide (as an energy source). Bacterial production rates were also measured using a radiotracer method. The turnover of methanol and methylamine was expressed as apparent rate constant, k (d-1), calculated from a ratio of the recovered 14C counts (assimilation: the particles on the filter; oxidation: 14CO2 production) divided by total 14C-methanol or methylamine added to the sample. Methanol or methylamine assimilation and oxidation rates in nmol L-1 d-1 could be simply calculated through the recovered counts from the filter or 14CO2 production (nCi mL-1 d-1) divided by the specific activity of 14C-methanol and methylamine (56 mCi mmol-1). Nutrient experiments were performed by adding additional (10 or 50 umol) nutrients (ammonium, nitrate, or phosphate) to seawater collected from surface water at GC574, and performing methanol assimilation and oxidation assays as described above. Competition Assays were performed by adding a alternate methanogenesis substrate (trimethylamine when measuring methanol assimilation/oxidation or methanol when measuring methylamine assimilation or oxidation) to seawater collected from surface water at GC600, and performing methanol or methylamine assimilation and oxidation assays as described above.

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