Methanotrophic Bacteria and Biogeochemical Cycling in an Oil Sands End Pit Lake
Abstract
This study examined for the first time the microbial community and biogeochemical cycling of methane and oxygen in Base Mine Lake, the reclamation site of a former tailings pond in the Athabasca oil sands region of Northern Alberta. Base Mine Lake represents the first large-scale demonstration of the “water-capped end pit lake” approach to tailings pond reclamation, with the ultimate goal of transitioning the lake into a natural, self-sustaining ecosystem. The oxygenated upper portion of the lake is home to aerobic hydrocarbon degrading bacteria, including a diverse population of methane oxidizing bacteria, whose activity, dispersion, and community composition is greatly influenced by seasonal variation. The majority of methanotrophs in the lake belong to the class Gammaproteobacteria, although Alphaproteobacteria methanotrophs make up a relatively large percentage of methanotrophs during summer stratification. Methanotroph abundance and potential for methane oxidation are relatively high during periods of turnover or partial mixing in the lake, and decrease during stratification.
Description
Keywords
Microbiology
Citation
Haupt, E. (2016). Methanotrophic Bacteria and Biogeochemical Cycling in an Oil Sands End Pit Lake (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26893