Carbon isotope fractionation in phospholipid fatty acid biomarkers of bacteria and fungi native to an acid mine drainage lake

Stable carbon isotope analysis revealed that bulk cellular material in all autotrophic cultures was depleted in δ13C by 5.6-10.9‰ relative to their atmospheric CO2 derived carbon source, suggesting that inorganic carbon fixation in these cultures is carbon limited. Individual PLFA from these autotrophs were further depleted by 8.2-14.6‰ compared to the bulk cell δ13C, which are among the largest biosynthetic isotope fractionation factors between bulk cell and PLFA reported in the literature. In contrast, the heterotrophic bulk cells were not significantly fractionated in δ13C relative to their carbon source and heterotrophic PLFA ranged from 3‰ enriched to 4‰ depleted relative to the isotopic composition of their total biomass. These distinct PLFA biomarkers and isotopic fractionations associated with autotrophic and heterotrophic activity in this laboratory study provide potential biomarkers for delineating autotrophic and heterotrophic carbon cycling in AMD environments.