Bacteria as paleoenvironmental proxies: the study of a cave Pleistocene profile

Abstract

Caves are well-known archives that preserve valuable information about the past, relevant for reconstructing past climates and environments. We sampled sediments from a 480 cm deep profile. 16S rRNA gene-based metabarcoding analyses were undertaken that complemented lithological logging, sedimentology, and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating. These analyses revealed different sedimentation conditions along the profile with various water inputs. The OSL age of the sediments places the profile between 74.7 ± 12.3 to 56 ± 8 ka (base to top). However, more recent reworking processes (during LGM – Last Glacial Maximum paleofloods) in the upper and lower passages of the cave might have occurred. Bacterial compositions changed with depth, from soil bacteria (present in the upper part of the sediment profile) to thermophilic/sulfurous bacteria (abundant in the deeper samples of the profile). Considering the thermophilic bacteria, we could only assume their origin from a surface of hot sulfurous, old thermal springs, or sapropel sediments.