INITIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MICROBIOTA AND THEIR HABITAT: HOT SPRINGS STATE PARK, THERMOPOLIS, WYOMING

Hot Springs State Park, in Thermopolis, Wyoming, is ~60 miles north the campus in Riverton, WY. The hot springs themselves are erupting along an east-west fault line in the Mesozoic sedimentary rocks that flank the north side of the Owl Creek Mountains. Rainfall on these mountains moves northward through the sedimentary layers until it reaches the fault zone and flows upward into the springs. The proximity of these springs to the Yellowstone hotspot volcano is one of the reasons that these springs are hot (approx. 52°C) when they reach the surface. Yellowstone is such a focus for most extremophile researchers, that they haven't ventured beyond it. There has not been another systematic study of a hot springs in the region. Comparing these two areas will contribute to our understanding of regional diversity among microbial communities. Identification of bacteria types and characterization of their habitat and genetic diversity will contribute to the currently limited knowledge of life on early Earth.

The Big Spring is slightly acidic, with a pH 5.9 – 6.2, and a temperature from 53.5°C at the source to 50.8°C at the first cooling pond. The main spring and its effluence support a large number of pigmented bacteria; a thin green layer lies on top of a thicker layer of deep red color– a pattern typical of Cyanobacteria and Non-Sulfur Green bacteria; possibly a thin layer of Synechococcus covering a layer of Chloroflexus. A previous study reported Purple Non-Sulfur bacteria Rhodospirillum centenum (Favinger, R et al. 1989) and Rhodopseudomonas cryptolactis as being present (Statwald-Demchick, Turner et al. 1990); orange colored mats observed in shallow, stagnant inlets along the side of the stream match typical growth characteristics of these species. Discrete communities along the stream bank vary in surface color, and appear to follow temperature and pH gradients. The stream itself is characterized by filamentous streamers attached to the bed, varying in color from green in the slow and deeper parts of the stream, to white in the fast and shallow areas. Microscopic analysis resulted in a mix of mostly gram-negative filaments, rods, and capsules, some with twitching motility. White filaments appear to carry an overabundance of microcrystalline calcite. Specific identification and is pending PCR, DGGE and 16sRNA analysis. This research is supported by Wyoming NASA Space Grant and INBRE.