Unexpected Diversity of Magnetococci in Intertidal Sediments of Xiaoshi Island in the North Yellow Sea

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are a group of prokaryotes that, despite their high morphological, phylogenetic, and ecological diversity, share a common capability of forming intracellular nanocrystals of magnetite (Fe3O4) or greigite (Fe3S4), called magnetosomes, and swimming along geomagnetic field lines in a process called magnetotaxis. In this study, we investigated the MTB diversity within the intertidal sediments near Xiaoshi Island (Weihai) in the North Yellow Sea using a combination of molecular ecology techniques and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The combination of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed seven new MTB genera affiliated with the Alphaproteobacteria class. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses suggested that one magnetotactic coccus (designated as WHI-2) is the dominant species. TEM observations and energy dispersive X-ray analyses revealed that MTB cells mainly form magnetite magnetosomes that are organized into two chains of magnetosomes composed of e-prismatic magnetite crystals. This finding suggests the adaptation of a magnetotactic bacterial population to the marine tide. This is the first report of magnetotactic bacteria near Xiaoshi Island, which should be useful for studies of biogeochemical cycling and the geohistory of this area.