Resource partitioning and amino acid assimilation in a terrestrial geothermal spring

High-temperature geothermal springs host simplified microbial communities; however, the activities of individual microorganisms and their roles in the carbon cycle in nature are not well understood. Here, quantitative stable isotope probing was used to track the assimilation of acetate and aspartate in sediments in Gongxiaoshe Hot Spring, Tengchong, China. This revealed a community-wide preference for aspartate and a tight coupling between aspartate utilization and the proliferation of aspartate utilizers during labeling.