PRELIMINARY IDENTIFICATION OF MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES FROM THERMO HOT SPRINGS, BEAVER COUNTY, SOUTHWESTERN UTAH

Thermo Hot Springs are undeveloped springs located in the remote Sevier thermal desert region of Utah. Geothermal power development is rapidly increasing in the region and is located within 2 km of the springs. Drilling associated with this expansion identified alluvium (350 m) and volcanic rock (350 – 960 m) overlying sedimentary and metamorphic rock (960 – 1500 m), as well as granite base that extends 1500 to 2200 m. The intersection of northeast and -west trending fault zones allow the deep, hot, circulating groundwater to ascend to the surface where they occur as thermal pools.

In the present study, we sampled water temperatures and pH in addition to thirteen microbial mat communities that occur in the pools. Genomic DNA was purified and 16S rDNA regions amplified using the polymerase chain reaction. Sequence data were generated and compared to those in GenBank, the national database for biotechnological information. Water temperatures ranged from 50 – 75 °C and pH values were 5.0 – 6.5. Similarity analyses revealed sequence data from four microbial samples were most comparable to thermophiles (Aquificales, 91%), anaerobes (Firmicutes, 92%), and metalotolerant microorganisms (Brevundimonas, 96% and iron-reducing bacteria, 95%). Future work will explore cloning protocols that isolate sequence data from individuals within each sample as well as heavy metal water chemistry analyses, particularly arsenic. Studies on extremophiles add to our understanding of Earth’s earliest life forms, the environments in which they occur, and the selective pressures that continue to play a key role in their evolution.