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Wang Y, Wang Z, Ali A, Su J, Huang T, Hou C, Li X. Microbial-induced calcium precipitation: Bibliometric analysis, reaction mechanisms, mineralization types, and perspectives. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 362:142762. [PMID: 38971440 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
Microbial-induced calcium precipitation (MICP) refers to the formation of calcium precipitates induced by mineralization during microbial metabolism. MICP has been widely used as an ecologically sustainable method in environmental, geotechnical, and construction fields. This article reviews the removal mechanisms of MICP for different contaminants in the field of water treatment. The nucleation pathway is explained at both extracellular and intracellular levels, with a focus on evaluating the contribution of extracellular polymers to MICP. The types of mineralization and the regulatory role of enzyme genes in the MICP process are innovatively summarized. Based on this, the environmental significance of MICP is illustrated, and the application prospects of calcium precipitation products are discussed. The research hotspots and development trends of MICP are analyzed by bibliometric methods, and the challenges and future directions of MICP technology are identified. This review aims to provide a theoretical basis for further understanding of the MICP phenomenon in water treatment and the effective removal of multiple pollutants, which will help researchers to find the breakthroughs and innovations in the existing technologies, with a view to making significant progress in MICP technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxuan Wang
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Zhao Wang
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Amjad Ali
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Junfeng Su
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China.
| | - Tinglin Huang
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Chenxi Hou
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Xuan Li
- College of Environmental Science & Engineering, Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, 224051, China
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2
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Ugwuanyi IR, Steele A, Glamoclija M. Microbial Ecology of an Arctic Travertine Geothermal Spring: Implications for Biosignature Preservation and Astrobiology. ASTROBIOLOGY 2024; 24:734-753. [PMID: 38985714 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
Jotun springs in Svalbard, Norway, is a rare warm environment in the Arctic that actively forms travertine. In this study, we assessed the microbial ecology of Jotun's active (aquatic) spring and dry spring transects. We evaluated the microbial preservation potential and mode, as well as the astrobiological relevance of the travertines to marginal carbonates mapped at Jezero Crater on Mars (the Mars 2020 landing site). Our results revealed that microbial communities exhibited spatial dynamics controlled by temperature, fluid availability, and geochemistry. Amorphous carbonates and silica precipitated within biofilm and on the surface of filamentous microorganisms. The water discharged at the source is warm, with near neutral pH, and undersaturated in silica. Hence, silicification possibly occurred through cooling, dehydration, and partially by a microbial presence or activities that promote silica precipitation. CO2 degassing and possible microbial contributions induced calcite precipitation and travertine formation. Jotun revealed that warm systems that are not very productive in carbonate formation may still produce significant carbonate buildups and provide settings favorable for fossilization through silicification and calcification. Our findings suggest that the potential for amorphous silica precipitation may be essential for Jezero Crater's marginal carbonates because it significantly increases the preservation potential of putative martian organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ifeoma R Ugwuanyi
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, USA
| | - Andrew Steele
- Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Mihaela Glamoclija
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, USA
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Osman JR, Castillo J, Sanhueza V, Miller AZ, Novoselov A, Cotoras D, Morales D. Key energy metabolisms in modern living microbialites from hypersaline Andean lagoons of the Salar de Atacama, Chile. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 937:173469. [PMID: 38788953 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Microbialites are organosedimentary structures formed mainly due to the precipitation of carbonate minerals, although they can also incorporate siliceous, phosphate, ferric, and sulfate minerals. The minerals' precipitation occurs because of local chemical changes triggered by changes in pH and redox transformations catalyzed by the microbial energy metabolisms. Here, geochemistry, metagenomics, and bioinformatics tools reveal the key energy metabolisms of microbial mats, stromatolites and an endoevaporite distributed across four hypersaline lagoons from the Salar de Atacama. Chemoautotrophic and chemoheterotrophic microorganisms seem to coexist and influence microbialite formation. The microbialite types of each lagoon host unique microbial communities and metabolisms that influence their geochemistry. Among them, photosynthetic, carbon- and nitrogen- fixing and sulfate-reducing microorganisms appear to control the main biogeochemical cycles. Genes associated with non-conventional energy pathways identified in MAGs, such as hydrogen production/consumption, arsenic oxidation/reduction, manganese oxidation and selenium reduction, also contribute to support life in microbialites. The presence of genes encoding for enzymes associated with ureolytic processes in the Cyanobacteria phylum and Gammaproteobacteria class might induce carbonate precipitation in hypersaline environments, contributing to the microbialites formation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study characterizing metagenomically microbialites enriched in manganese and identifying metabolic pathways associated with manganese oxidation, selenium reduction, and ureolysis in this ecosystem, which suggests that the geochemistry and bioavailability of energy sources (As, Mn and Se) shapes the microbial metabolisms in the microbialites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge R Osman
- Instituto de Geología Económica Aplicada (GEA), Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
| | - Julio Castillo
- University of the Free State, Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Vilma Sanhueza
- Instituto de Geología Económica Aplicada (GEA), Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Ana Z Miller
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS-CSIC), Av. Reina Mercedes 10, 41012 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Alexey Novoselov
- Instituto de Geología Económica Aplicada (GEA), Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Davor Cotoras
- Laboratorio de Microbiología y Biotecnología, Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Chile, Santos Dumont #964, Independencia, Santiago, Chile
| | - Daniela Morales
- Instituto de Geología Económica Aplicada (GEA), Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
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Cubillos CF, Aguilar P, Moreira D, Bertolino P, Iniesto M, Dorador C, López-García P. Exploring the prokaryote-eukaryote interplay in microbial mats from an Andean athalassohaline wetland. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0007224. [PMID: 38456669 PMCID: PMC10986560 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00072-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Microbial community assembly results from the interaction between biotic and abiotic factors. However, environmental selection is thought to predominantly shape communities in extreme ecosystems. Salar de Huasco, situated in the high-altitude Andean Altiplano, represents a poly-extreme ecosystem displaying spatial gradients of physicochemical conditions. To disentangle the influence of abiotic and biotic factors, we studied prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities from microbial mats and underlying sediments across contrasting areas of this athalassohaline ecosystem. The prokaryotic communities were primarily composed of bacteria, notably including a significant proportion of photosynthetic organisms like Cyanobacteria and anoxygenic photosynthetic members of Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria and Chloroflexi. Additionally, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, and Deltaproteobacteria were abundantly represented. Among eukaryotes, photosynthetic organisms (Ochrophyta and Archaeplastida) were predominant, alongside relatively abundant ciliates, cercozoans, and flagellated fungi. Salinity emerged as a key driver for the assembly of prokaryotic communities. Collectively, abiotic factors influenced both prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities, particularly those of algae. However, prokaryotic communities strongly correlated with photosynthetic eukaryotes, suggesting a pivotal role of biotic interactions in shaping these communities. Co-occurrence networks suggested potential interactions between different organisms, such as diatoms with specific photosynthetic and heterotrophic bacteria or with protist predators, indicating influences beyond environmental selection. While some associations may be explained by environmental preferences, the robust biotic correlations, alongside insights from other ecosystems and experimental studies, suggest that symbiotic and trophic interactions significantly shape microbial mat and sediment microbial communities in this athalassohaline ecosystem.IMPORTANCEHow biotic and abiotic factors influence microbial community assembly is still poorly defined. Here, we explore their influence on prokaryotic and eukaryotic community assembly within microbial mats and sediments of an Andean high-altitude polyextreme wetland system. We show that, in addition to abiotic elements, mutual interactions exist between prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities. Notably, photosynthetic eukaryotes exhibit a strong correlation with prokaryotic communities, specifically diatoms with certain bacteria and other protists. Our findings underscore the significance of biotic interactions in community assembly and emphasize the necessity of considering the complete microbial community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina F. Cubillos
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Pablo Aguilar
- Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana, Instituto Antofagasta and Centro de Bioingeniería y Biotecnología (CeBiB), Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
- Millennium Nucleus of Austral Invasive Salmonids - INVASAL, Concepción, Chile
| | - David Moreira
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Paola Bertolino
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Miguel Iniesto
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Cristina Dorador
- Laboratorio de Complejidad Microbiana, Instituto Antofagasta and Centro de Bioingeniería y Biotecnología (CeBiB), Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
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Saona LA, Villafañe PG, Carrizo D, Cónsole Gonella C, Néspolo RF, Farías ME. Geomicrobiological characterization of the evaporitic ecosystem in the hypersaline lake Laguna Verde (Andean Puna, Northwestern Argentina). Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10931. [PMID: 38348017 PMCID: PMC10859677 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Laguna Verde's dome-shaped structures are distinctive formations within the Central Andes, displaying unique geomicrobiological features. This study represents a pioneering investigation into these structures, assessing their formation, associated taxa, and ecological significance. Through a multifaceted approach that includes chemical analysis of the water body, multiscale characterization of the domes, and analysis of the associated microorganisms, we reveal the complex interplay between geology and biology in this extreme environment. The lake's alkaline waters that are rich in dissolved cations and anions such as chloride, sodium sulfate, and potassium, coupled with its location at the margin of the Antofalla salt flat, fed by alluvial fans and hydrothermal input, provide favorable conditions for mineral precipitation and support for the microorganism's activity. Laguna Verde's dome-shaped structures are mainly composed of gypsum and halite, displaying an internal heterogeneous mesostructure consisting of three zones: microcrystalline, organic (orange and green layers), and crystalline. The green layer of the organic zone is predominantly composed of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Cyanobacteria, while the orange layer is mostly inhabited by Cyanobacteria. The results of the study suggest that oxygenic photosynthesis performed by Cyanobacteria is the main carbon fixation pathway in the microbial community, supported by carbon isotopic ratios of specific biomarkers. This finding highlights the important role played by Cyanobacteria in this ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- L. A. Saona
- Facultad de Química y BiologíaUniversidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH)SantiagoChile
- Millennium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi)ValdiviaChile
- Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio)SantiagoChile
| | - P. G. Villafañe
- Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica (INSUGEO), CONICET‐UNTTucumánArgentina
- GIUV2016‐303, Department of Botany and GeologyUniversitat de ValènciaValènciaEspaña
| | - D. Carrizo
- Centro de AstrobiologíaInstituto Nacional de Técnica AeroespacialMadridEspaña
| | - C. Cónsole Gonella
- Instituto Superior de Correlación Geológica (INSUGEO), CONICET‐UNTTucumánArgentina
| | - R. F. Néspolo
- Millennium Nucleus of Patagonian Limit of Life (LiLi)ValdiviaChile
- Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio)SantiagoChile
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y EvolutivasUniversidad Austral de ChileValdiviaChile
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6
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Garuglieri E, Marasco R, Odobel C, Chandra V, Teillet T, Areias C, Sánchez-Román M, Vahrenkamp V, Daffonchio D. Searching for microbial contribution to micritization of shallow marine sediments. Environ Microbiol 2024; 26:e16573. [PMID: 38217094 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Micritization is an early diagenetic process that gradually alters primary carbonate sediment grains through cycles of dissolution and reprecipitation of microcrystalline calcite (micrite). Typically observed in modern shallow marine environments, micritic textures have been recognized as a vital component of storage and flow in hydrocarbon reservoirs, attracting scientific and economic interests. Due to their endolithic activity and the ability to promote nucleation and reprecipitation of carbonate crystals, microorganisms have progressively been shown to be key players in micritization, placing this process at the boundary between the geological and biological realms. However, published research is mainly based on geological and geochemical perspectives, overlooking the biological and ecological complexity of microbial communities of micritized sediments. In this paper, we summarize the state-of-the-art and research gaps in micritization from a microbial ecology perspective. Since a growing body of literature successfully applies in vitro and in situ 'fishing' strategies to unveil elusive microorganisms and expand our knowledge of microbial diversity, we encourage their application to the study of micritization. By employing these strategies in micritization research, we advocate promoting an interdisciplinary approach/perspective to identify and understand the overlooked/neglected microbial players and key pathways governing this phenomenon and their ecology/dynamics, reshaping our comprehension of this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Garuglieri
- Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ramona Marasco
- Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Charlene Odobel
- Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Viswasanthi Chandra
- Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Thomas Teillet
- Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Camila Areias
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Mónica Sánchez-Román
- Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Volker Vahrenkamp
- Ali I. Al-Naimi Petroleum Engineering Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Daniele Daffonchio
- Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological Environmental Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
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7
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Reid RP, Suosaari EP, Oehlert AM, Pollier CGL, Dupraz C. Microbialite Accretion and Growth: Lessons from Shark Bay and the Bahamas. ANNUAL REVIEW OF MARINE SCIENCE 2024; 16:487-511. [PMID: 38231736 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-marine-021423-124637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Microbialites provide geological evidence of one of Earth's oldest ecosystems, potentially recording long-standing interactions between coevolving life and the environment. Here, we focus on microbialite accretion and growth and consider how environmental and microbial forces that characterize living ecosystems in Shark Bay and the Bahamas interact to form an initial microbialite architecture, which in turn establishes distinct evolutionary pathways. A conceptual three-dimensional model is developed for microbialite accretion that emphasizes the importance of a dynamic balance between extrinsic and intrinsic factors in determining the initial architecture. We then explore how early taphonomic and diagenetic processes modify the initial architecture, culminating in various styles of preservation in the rock record. The timing of lithification of microbial products is critical in determining growth patterns and preservation potential. Study results have shown that all microbialites are not created equal; the unique evolutionary history of an individual microbialite matters.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Pamela Reid
- Department of Marine Geosciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA; , ,
- Bahamas Marine EcoCentre, Miami, Florida, USA;
| | - Erica P Suosaari
- Bahamas Marine EcoCentre, Miami, Florida, USA;
- Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
- Bush Heritage Australia, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Amanda M Oehlert
- Department of Marine Geosciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA; , ,
| | - Clément G L Pollier
- Department of Marine Geosciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA; , ,
| | - Christophe Dupraz
- Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden;
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8
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Barlow EV, House CH, Liu MC, Wetherington MT, Van Kranendonk MJ. Distinctive microfossil supports early Paleoproterozoic rise in complex cellular organisation. GEOBIOLOGY 2024; 22:e12576. [PMID: 37803496 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
The great oxidation event (GOE), ~2.4 billion years ago, caused fundamental changes to the chemistry of Earth's surface environments. However, the effect of these changes on the biosphere is unknown, due to a worldwide lack of well-preserved fossils from this time. Here, we investigate exceptionally preserved, large spherical aggregate (SA) microfossils permineralised in chert from the c. 2.4 Ga Turee Creek Group in Western Australia. Field and petrographic observations, Raman spectroscopic mapping, and in situ carbon isotopic analyses uncover insights into the morphology, habitat, reproduction and metabolism of this unusual form, whose distinctive, SA morphology has no known counterpart in the fossil record. Comparative analysis with microfossils from before the GOE reveals the large SA microfossils represent a step-up in cellular organisation. Morphological comparison to extant micro-organisms indicates the SAs have more in common with coenobial algae than coccoidal bacteria, emphasising the complexity of this microfossil form. The remarkable preservation here provides a unique window into the biosphere, revealing an increase in the complexity of life coinciding with the GOE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica V Barlow
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Core to Crust Fluid Systems (CCFS), Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Geosciences and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Christopher H House
- Department of Geosciences and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ming-Chang Liu
- Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, USA
| | - Maxwell T Wetherington
- Materials Research Institute and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Martin J Van Kranendonk
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Core to Crust Fluid Systems (CCFS), Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Martínez-Alvarez L, Ramond JB, Vikram S, León-Sobrino C, Maggs-Kölling G, Cowan DA. With a pinch of salt: metagenomic insights into Namib Desert salt pan microbial mats and halites reveal functionally adapted and competitive communities. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0062923. [PMID: 37971255 PMCID: PMC10734447 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00629-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE The hyperarid Namib Desert is one of the oldest deserts on Earth. It contains multiple clusters of playas which are saline-rich springs surrounded by halite evaporites. Playas are of great ecological importance, and their indigenous (poly)extremophilic microorganisms are potentially involved in the precipitation of minerals such as carbonates and sulfates and have been of great biotechnological importance. While there has been a considerable amount of microbial ecology research performed on various Namib Desert edaphic microbiomes, little is known about the microbial communities inhabiting its multiple playas. In this work, we provide a comprehensive taxonomic and functional potential characterization of the microbial, including viral, communities of sediment mats and halites from two distant salt pans of the Namib Desert, contributing toward a better understanding of the ecology of this biome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Martínez-Alvarez
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics (CMEG), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Jean-Baptiste Ramond
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics (CMEG), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- Extreme Ecosystem Microbiomics & Ecogenomics (E²ME) Lab., Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Surendra Vikram
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics (CMEG), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Carlos León-Sobrino
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics (CMEG), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | | | - Don A. Cowan
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics (CMEG), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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10
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Bellanger M, Visscher P, White RA. Viral enumeration using cost-effective wet-mount epifluorescence microscopy for aquatic ecosystems and modern microbialites. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0174423. [PMID: 38014959 PMCID: PMC10734538 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01744-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Low-cost and robust viral enumeration is a critical first step toward understanding the global virome. Our method is a deep drive integration providing a window into viral dark matter within aquatic ecosystems. We enumerated the viruses within Green Lake and Great Salt Lake microbialites, EPS, and water column. The entire weight of all the viruses in Green Lake and Great Salt Lake are ~598 g and ~2.2 kg, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline Bellanger
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, North Carolina Research Campus, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA
- Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER), The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
| | - Pieter Visscher
- Department of Marine Sciences and Geoscience, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Richard Allen White
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, North Carolina Research Campus, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA
- Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER), The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
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11
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Dhami NK, Greenwood PF, Poropat SF, Tripp M, Elson A, Vijay H, Brosnan L, Holman AI, Campbell M, Hopper P, Smith L, Jian A, Grice K. Microbially mediated fossil concretions and their characterization by the latest methodologies: a review. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1225411. [PMID: 37840715 PMCID: PMC10576451 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1225411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of well-preserved organic matter (OM) within mineral concretions has provided key insights into depositional and environmental conditions in deep time. Concretions of varied compositions, including carbonate, phosphate, and iron-based minerals, have been found to host exceptionally preserved fossils. Organic geochemical characterization of concretion-encapsulated OM promises valuable new information of fossil preservation, paleoenvironments, and even direct taxonomic information to further illuminate the evolutionary dynamics of our planet and its biota. Full exploitation of this largely untapped geochemical archive, however, requires a sophisticated understanding of the prevalence, formation controls and OM sequestration properties of mineral concretions. Past research has led to the proposal of different models of concretion formation and OM preservation. Nevertheless, the formation mechanisms and controls on OM preservation in concretions remain poorly understood. Here we provide a detailed review of the main types of concretions and formation pathways with a focus on the role of microbes and their metabolic activities. In addition, we provide a comprehensive account of organic geochemical, and complimentary inorganic geochemical, morphological, microbial and paleontological, analytical methods, including recent advancements, relevant to the characterization of concretions and sequestered OM. The application and outcome of several early organic geochemical studies of concretion-impregnated OM are included to demonstrate how this underexploited geo-biological record can provide new insights into the Earth's evolutionary record. This paper also attempts to shed light on the current status of this research and major challenges that lie ahead in the further application of geo-paleo-microbial and organic geochemical research of concretions and their host fossils. Recent efforts to bridge the knowledge and communication gaps in this multidisciplinary research area are also discussed, with particular emphasis on research with significance for interpreting the molecular record in extraordinarily preserved fossils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navdeep K. Dhami
- Western Australian – Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Paul F. Greenwood
- Western Australian – Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Stephen F. Poropat
- Western Australian – Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Madison Tripp
- Western Australian – Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Amy Elson
- Western Australian – Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Hridya Vijay
- Western Australian – Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Luke Brosnan
- Western Australian – Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Alex I. Holman
- Western Australian – Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Matthew Campbell
- The Trace and Environmental DNA lab (trEND), School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Peter Hopper
- Western Australian – Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Lisa Smith
- Western Australian – Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Andrew Jian
- Western Australian – Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Kliti Grice
- Western Australian – Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
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12
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Mather CC, Lampinen HM, Tucker M, Leopold M, Dogramaci S, Raven M, Gilkes RJ. Microbial influence on dolomite and authigenic clay mineralisation in dolocrete profiles of NW Australia. GEOBIOLOGY 2023; 21:644-670. [PMID: 36973880 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Dolomite (CaMg(CO3 )2 ) precipitation is kinetically inhibited at surface temperatures and pressures. Experimental studies have demonstrated that microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) as well as certain clay minerals may catalyse dolomite precipitation. However, the combined association of EPS with clay minerals and dolomite and their occurrence in the natural environment are not well documented. We investigated the mineral and textural associations within groundwater dolocrete profiles from arid northwest Australia. Microbial EPS is a site of nucleation for both dolomite and authigenic clay minerals in this Late Miocene to Pliocene dolocrete. Dolomite crystals are commonly encased in EPS alveolar structures, which have been mineralised by various clay minerals, including montmorillonite, trioctahedral smectite and palygorskite-sepiolite. Observations of microbial microstructures and their association with minerals resemble textures documented in various lacustrine and marine microbialites, indicating that similar mineralisation processes may have occurred to form these dolocretes. EPS may attract and bind cations that concentrate to form the initial particles for mineral nucleation. The dolomite developed as nanocrystals, likely via a disordered precursor, which coalesced to form larger micritic crystal aggregates and rhombic crystals. Spheroidal dolomite textures, commonly with hollow cores, are also present and may reflect the mineralisation of a biofilm surrounding coccoid bacterial cells. Dolomite formation within an Mg-clay matrix is also observed, more commonly within a shallow pedogenic horizon. The ability of the negatively charged surfaces of clay and EPS to bind and dewater Mg2+ , as well as the slow diffusion of ions through a viscous clay or EPS matrix, may promote the incorporation of Mg2+ into the mineral and overcome the kinetic effects to allow disordered dolomite nucleation and its later growth. The results of this study show that the precipitation of clay and carbonate minerals in alkaline environments may be closely associated and can develop from the same initial amorphous Ca-Mg-Si-rich matrix within EPS. The abundance of EPS preserved within the profiles is evidence of past microbial activity. Local fluctuations in chemistry, such as small increases in alkalinity, associated with the degradation of EPS or microbial activity, were likely important for both clay and dolomite formation. Groundwater environments may be important and hitherto understudied settings for microbially influenced mineralisation and for low-temperature dolomite precipitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline C Mather
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
- School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
| | - Heta M Lampinen
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Mineral Resources, 26 Dick Perry Avenue, Kensington, Western Australia, 6151, Australia
| | - Maurice Tucker
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK
| | - Matthias Leopold
- UWA-School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
| | - Shawan Dogramaci
- School of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
- National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training & College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, 5042, Australia
| | - Mark Raven
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Mineralogical Services, Waite Campus, Urrbrae, South Australia, 5064, Australia
| | - Robert J Gilkes
- UWA-School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia
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13
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Amorín de Hegedüs R, Conesa A, Foster JS. Integration of multi-omics data to elucidate keystone unknown taxa within microbialite-forming ecosystems. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1174685. [PMID: 37577445 PMCID: PMC10416242 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1174685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbes continually shape Earth's biochemical and physical landscapes by inhabiting diverse metabolic niches. Despite the important role microbes play in ecosystem functioning, most microbial species remain unknown highlighting a gap in our understanding of structured complex ecosystems. To elucidate the relevance of these unknown taxa, often referred to as "microbial dark matter," the integration of multiple high throughput sequencing technologies was used to evaluate the co-occurrence and connectivity of all microbes within the community. Since there are no standard methodologies for multi-omics integration of microbiome data, we evaluated the abundance of "microbial dark matter" in microbialite-forming communities using different types meta-omic datasets: amplicon, metagenomic, and metatranscriptomic sequencing previously generated for this ecosystem. Our goal was to compare the community structure and abundances of unknown taxa within the different data types rather than to perform a functional characterization of the data. Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data were input into SortMeRNA to extract 16S rRNA gene reads. The output, as well as amplicon sequences, were processed through QIIME2 for taxonomy analysis. The R package mdmnets was utilized to build co-occurrence networks. Most hubs presented unknown classifications, even at the phyla level. Comparisons of the highest scoring hubs of each data type using sequence similarity networks allowed the identification of the most relevant hubs within the microbialite-forming communities. This work highlights the importance of unknown taxa in community structure and proposes that ecosystem network construction can be used on several types of data to identify keystone taxa and their potential function within microbial ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío Amorín de Hegedüs
- Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Sciences, Space Life Sciences Lab, University of Florida, Merritt Island, FL, United States
| | - Ana Conesa
- Spanish National Research Council, Institute for Integrative Systems Biology, Valencia, Spain
| | - Jamie S. Foster
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Sciences, Space Life Sciences Lab, University of Florida, Merritt Island, FL, United States
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14
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Słowakiewicz M, Perri E, Tagliasacchi E, Działak P, Borkowski A, Gradziński M, Kele S, Tucker ME. Viruses participate in the organomineralization of travertines. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11663. [PMID: 37468551 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38873-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Travertines, which precipitate from high temperature water saturated with calcium carbonate, are generally considered to be dominated by physico-chemical and microbial precipitates. Here, as an additional influence on organomineral formation, metagenomic data and microscopic analyses clearly demonstrate that highly diverse viral, bacterial and archaeal communities occur in the biofilms associated with several modern classic travertine sites in Europe and Asia, along with virus-like particles. Metagenomic analysis reveals that bacteriophages (bacterial viruses) containing icosahedral capsids and belonging to the Siphoviridae, Myoviridae and Podoviridae families are the most abundant of all viral strains, although the bacteriophage distribution does vary across the sampling sites. Icosahedral shapes of capsids are also the most frequently observed under the microscope, occurring as non-mineralized through to mineralized viruses and virus-like particles. Viruses are initially mineralized by Ca-Si amorphous precipitates with subordinate Mg and Al contents; these then alter to nanospheroids composed of Ca carbonate with minor silicate 80-300 nm in diameter. Understanding the roles of bacteriophages in modern carbonate-saturated settings and related organomineralization processes is critical for their broader inclusion in the geological record and ecosystem models.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Edoardo Perri
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ecologia e Scienze della Terra, Università della Calabria, 87036, Rende, Italy
| | | | - Paweł Działak
- Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology, 30-059, Kraków, Poland
| | - Andrzej Borkowski
- Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology, 30-059, Kraków, Poland
| | - Michał Gradziński
- Institute of Geological Sciences, Jagiellonian University, 30-387, Kraków, Poland
| | - Sándor Kele
- Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Institute for Geological and Geochemical Research, Budapest, 1112, Hungary
- CSFK, MTA Centre of Excellence, Budapest, 1121, Hungary
| | - Maurice E Tucker
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK
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15
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Mazière C, Duran R, Dupuy C, Cravo-Laureau C. Microbial mats as model to decipher climate change effect on microbial communities through a mesocosm study. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1039658. [PMID: 37396368 PMCID: PMC10308941 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1039658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Marine environments are expected to be one of the most affected ecosystems by climate change, notably with increasing ocean temperature and ocean acidification. In marine environments, microbial communities provide important ecosystem services ensuring biogeochemical cycles. They are threatened by the modification of environmental parameters induced by climate change that, in turn, affect their activities. Microbial mats, ensuring important ecosystem services in coastal areas, are well-organized communities of diverse microorganisms representing accurate microbial models. It is hypothesized that their microbial diversity and metabolic versatility will reveal various adaptation strategies in response to climate change. Thus, understanding how climate change affects microbial mats will provide valuable information on microbial behaviour and functioning in changed environment. Experimental ecology, based on mesocosm approaches, provides the opportunity to control physical-chemical parameters, as close as possible to those observed in the environment. The exposure of microbial mats to physical-chemical conditions mimicking the climate change predictions will help to decipher the modification of the microbial community structure and function in response to it. Here, we present how to expose microbial mats, following a mesocosm approach, to study the impact of climate change on microbial community.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Mazière
- Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM UMR 525—Bât. IBEAS, BP1155, Pau, France
- La Rochelle Université, CNRS, UMR 7266 LIENSs (Littoral Environnement et Sociétés)—2, rue Olympe de Gouges, Bât. ILE, La Rochelle, France
| | - R. Duran
- Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM UMR 525—Bât. IBEAS, BP1155, Pau, France
| | - C. Dupuy
- La Rochelle Université, CNRS, UMR 7266 LIENSs (Littoral Environnement et Sociétés)—2, rue Olympe de Gouges, Bât. ILE, La Rochelle, France
| | - C. Cravo-Laureau
- Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM UMR 525—Bât. IBEAS, BP1155, Pau, France
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16
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Moran JJ, Bernstein HC, Mobberley JM, Thompson AM, Kim YM, Dana KL, Cory AB, Courtney S, Renslow RS, Fredrickson JK, Kreuzer HW, Lipton MS. Daylight-driven carbon exchange through a vertically structured microbial community. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1139213. [PMID: 37303779 PMCID: PMC10251406 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1139213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Interactions between autotrophs and heterotrophs are central to carbon (C) exchange across trophic levels in essentially all ecosystems and metabolite exchange is a frequent mechanism for distributing C within spatially structured ecosystems. Yet, despite the importance of C exchange, the timescales at which fixed C is transferred in microbial communities is poorly understood. We employed a stable isotope tracer combined with spatially resolved isotope analysis to quantify photoautotrophic uptake of bicarbonate and track subsequent exchanges across a vertical depth gradient in a stratified microbial mat over a light-driven diel cycle. We observed that C mobility, both across the vertical strata and between taxa, was highest during periods of active photoautotrophy. Parallel experiments with 13C-labeled organic substrates (acetate and glucose) showed comparably less exchange of C within the mat. Metabolite analysis showed rapid incorporation of 13C into molecules that can both comprise a portion of the extracellular polymeric substances in the system and serve to transport C between photoautotrophs and heterotrophs. Stable isotope proteomic analysis revealed rapid C exchange between cyanobacterial and associated heterotrophic community members during the day with decreased exchange at night. We observed strong diel control on the spatial exchange of freshly fixed C within tightly interacting mat communities suggesting a rapid redistribution, both spatially and taxonomically, primarily during daylight periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J. Moran
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Hans C. Bernstein
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
- Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
- ARC – The Arctic Centre for Sustainable Energy, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | | | | | - Young-Mo Kim
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Karl L. Dana
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | | | - Steph Courtney
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Ryan S. Renslow
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | | | - Helen W. Kreuzer
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
| | - Mary S. Lipton
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States
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17
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Beeler SR, Gomez FJ, Bradley AS. Geospatial insights into the controls of microbialite formation at Laguna Negra, Argentina. GEOBIOLOGY 2023; 21:229-243. [PMID: 36183342 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Microbialites provide a record of the interaction of microorganisms with their environment constituting a record of microbial life and environments through geologic time. Our capacity to interpret this record is limited by an incomplete understanding of the microbial, geochemical, and physical processes that influence microbialite formation and morphogenesis. The modern system Laguna Negra in Catamarca Province, Argentina contains microbialites in a zone of carbonate precipitation associated with physico-chemical gradients and variable microbial community structure, making it an ideal location to study how these processes interact to drive microbialite formation. In this study, we investigated the geospatial relationships between carbonate morphology, geochemistry, and microbial community at the macro- (decimeter) to mega- (meter) scale by combining high-resolution imagery with field observations. We mapped the distribution of carbonate morphologies and allochtonously-derived volcaniclasts and correlated these with sedimentary matrices and geochemical parameters. Our work shows that the macroscale distribution of different carbonate morphologies spatially correlates with microbial mat distributions-a result consistent with previous microscale observations. Specifically, microbialitic carbonate morphologies more commonly occur associated with microbial mats while abiotically derived carbonate morphologies were less commonly associated with microbial mats. Spatial variability in the size and abundance of mineralized structures was also observed, however, the processes controlling this variability remains unclear and likely represent a combination of microbial, geochemical, and physical processes. Likewise, the processes controlling the spatial distribution of microbial mats at Laguna Negra are also unresolved. Our results suggest that in addition to the physical drivers observed in other modern environments, variability in the spatial distribution of microbialites and other carbonate morphologies at the macro- to megascale can be controlled by microbial processes. Overall, this study provides insight into the interpretation of microbialite occurrence and distributions in the geologic record and highlights the utility of geospatial statistics to probe the controls of microbialite formation in other environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott R Beeler
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
- Engineering and Mining Experiment Station, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota, USA
| | - Fernando J Gomez
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, CICTERRA-CONICET, Fisicas, y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Alexander S Bradley
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
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18
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Kumar A, Song HW, Mishra S, Zhang W, Zhang YL, Zhang QR, Yu ZG. Application of microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) techniques to remove heavy metal in the natural environment: A critical review. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 318:137894. [PMID: 36657570 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.137894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The occurrence of imbalanced heavy metals concentration due to anthropogenic hindrances in the aquatic and terrestrial environment has become a potential risk to life after circulating through different food chains. The microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) method has gradually received great attention from global researchers but the underlying mechanism of heavy metal mineralization is not well-understood and challenging, limiting the applications in wastewater engineering. This paper reviews the metabolic pathways, mechanisms, operational factors, and mathematical/modeling approaches in the MICP process. Subsequently, the recent advancement in MICP for the remediation of heavy metal pollution is being discussed. In the follow-up, the key challenges and prospective associated with technical bottlenecks of MICP method are elaborated. The prospective study reveals that MICP technology could be efficiently used to remediate heavy metal contaminants from the natural environment in a cost-effective way and has the potential to improve soil properties while remediating heavy metal contaminated soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Kumar
- School of Hydrology and Water Resources, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China.
| | - He-Wei Song
- College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.
| | - Saurabh Mishra
- College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China.
| | - Wei Zhang
- Institute of Environmental Research at Greater Bay Area, Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
| | - Yu-Ling Zhang
- College of New Energy and Environment, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.
| | - Qian-Ru Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Nonpoint Source Pollution Control, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100081, China.
| | - Zhi-Guo Yu
- School of Hydrology and Water Resources, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China.
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19
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Stanton C, Barnes BD, Kump LR, Cosmidis J. A re-examination of the mechanism of whiting events: A new role for diatoms in Fayetteville Green Lake (New York, USA). GEOBIOLOGY 2023; 21:210-228. [PMID: 36326137 PMCID: PMC10092686 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Whiting events-the episodic precipitation of fine-grained suspended calcium carbonates in the water column-have been documented across a variety of marine and lacustrine environments. Whitings likely are a major source of carbonate muds, a constituent of limestones, and important archives for geochemical proxies of Earth history. While several biological and physical mechanisms have been proposed to explain the onset of these precipitation events, no consensus has been reached thus far. Fayetteville Green Lake (New York, USA) is a meromictic lake that experiences annual whitings. Materials suspended in the water column collected through the whiting season were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy. Whitings in Fayetteville Green Lake are initiated in the spring within the top few meters of the water column, by precipitation of fine amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) phases nucleating on microbial cells, as well as on abundant extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) frequently associated with centric diatoms. Whiting particles found in the summer consist of 5-7 μm calcite grains forming aggregates with diatoms and EPS. Simple calculations demonstrate that calcite particles continuously grow over several days, then sink quickly through the water column. In the late summer, partial calcium carbonate dissolution is observed deeper in the water column. Settling whiting particles, however, reach the bottom of the lake, where they form a major constituent of the sediment, along with diatom frustules. The role of diatoms and associated EPS acting as nucleation surfaces for calcium carbonates is described for the first time here as a potential mechanism participating in whitings at Fayetteville Green Lake. This mechanism may have been largely overlooked in other whiting events in modern and ancient environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe Stanton
- Department of GeosciencesThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Ben Davis Barnes
- Department of GeosciencesThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Lee R. Kump
- Department of GeosciencesThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
- Earth and Environmental Systems InstituteThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Julie Cosmidis
- Department of GeosciencesThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
- Earth and Environmental Systems InstituteThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
- Present address:
Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
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20
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Liu Y, Ali A, Su JF, Li K, Hu RZ, Wang Z. Microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation: Influencing factors, nucleation pathways, and application in waste water remediation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 860:160439. [PMID: 36574549 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a technique that uses the metabolic action of microorganisms to produce CO32- which combines with free Ca2+ to form CaCO3 precipitation. It has gained widespread attention in water treatment, aimed with the advantages of simultaneous removal of multiple pollutants, environmental protection, and ecological sustainability. This article reviewed the mechanism of MICP at both intra- and extra-cellular levels. It summarized the parameters affecting the MICP process in terms of bacterial concentration, ambient temperature, etc. The current status of MICP application in practical engineering is discussed. Based on this, the current technical difficulties faced in the use of MICP technology were outlined, and future research directions for MICP technology were highlighted. This review helps to improve the design of existing water treatment facilities for the simultaneous removal of multiple pollutants using the MICP and provides theoretical reference and innovative thinking for related research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Liu
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Amjad Ali
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Jun-Feng Su
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China.
| | - Kai Li
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Rui-Zhu Hu
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Zhao Wang
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
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21
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Han Z, Meng R, Zhao H, Gao X, Zhao Y, Han Y, Liu F, Tucker ME, Deng J, Yan H. The incorporation of Mg 2+ ions into aragonite during biomineralization: Implications for the dolomitization of aragonite. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1078430. [PMID: 36778848 PMCID: PMC9909399 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1078430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacteria can facilitate the increase of Mg2+ content in biotic aragonite, but the molecular mechanisms of the incorporation of Mg2+ ion into aragonite facilitated by bacteria are still unclear and the dolomitization of aragonite grains is rarely reported. In our laboratory experiments, the content of Mg2+ ions in biotic aragonite is higher than that in inorganically-precipitated aragonite and we hypothesize that the higher Mg content may enhance the subsequent dolomitization of aragonite. In this study, biotic aragonite was induced by Bacillus licheniformis Y1 at different Mg/Ca molar ratios. XRD data show that only aragonite was precipitated in the media with Mg/Ca molar ratios at 6, 9, and 12 after culturing for 25 days. The EDS and atomic absorption results show that the content of Mg2+ ions in biotic aragonite increased with rising Mg/Ca molar ratios. In addition, our analyses show that the EPS from the bacteria and the organics extracted from the interior of the biotic aragonite contain the same biomolecules, including Ala, Gly, Glu and hexadecanoic acid. The content of Mg2+ ions in the aragonite precipitates mediated by biomolecules is significantly higher than that in inorganically-precipitated aragonite. Additionally, compared with Ala and Gly, the increase of the Mg2+ ions content in aragonite promoted by Glu and hexadecanoic acid is more significant. The DFT (density functional theory) calculations reveal that the energy needed for Mg2+ ion incorporation into aragonite mediated by Glu, hexadecanoic acid, Gly and Ala increased gradually, but was lower than that without acidic biomolecules. The experiments also show that the Mg2+ ion content in the aragonite significantly increased with the increasing concentration of biomolecules. In a medium with high Mg2+ concentration and with bacteria, after 2 months, micron-sized dolomite rhombs were precipitated on the surfaces of the aragonite particles. This study may provide new insights into the important role played by biomolecules in the incorporation of the Mg2+ ions into aragonite. Moreover, these experiments may contribute towards our understanding of the dolomitization of aragonite in the presence of bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuozhen Han
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Depositional Mineralization and Sedimentary Minerals, College of Earth Science and Engineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Center for Isotope Geochemistry and Geochronology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Ruirui Meng
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Depositional Mineralization and Sedimentary Minerals, College of Earth Science and Engineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Center for Isotope Geochemistry and Geochronology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Hui Zhao
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Depositional Mineralization and Sedimentary Minerals, College of Earth Science and Engineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Center for Isotope Geochemistry and Geochronology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiao Gao
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Depositional Mineralization and Sedimentary Minerals, College of Earth Science and Engineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Center for Isotope Geochemistry and Geochronology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Yanyang Zhao
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Depositional Mineralization and Sedimentary Minerals, College of Earth Science and Engineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Center for Isotope Geochemistry and Geochronology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Yu Han
- School of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, China
| | - Fang Liu
- College of Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, China.,State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, Beijing, China
| | - Maurice E Tucker
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.,Cabot Institute, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Jiarong Deng
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Depositional Mineralization and Sedimentary Minerals, College of Earth Science and Engineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Center for Isotope Geochemistry and Geochronology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
| | - Huaxiao Yan
- Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Depositional Mineralization and Sedimentary Minerals, College of Earth Science and Engineering, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources, Center for Isotope Geochemistry and Geochronology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
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22
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Moore KR, Daye M, Gong J, Williford K, Konhauser K, Bosak T. A review of microbial-environmental interactions recorded in Proterozoic carbonate-hosted chert. GEOBIOLOGY 2023; 21:3-27. [PMID: 36268586 PMCID: PMC10092529 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The record of life during the Proterozoic is preserved by several different lithologies, but two in particular are linked both spatially and temporally: chert and carbonate. These lithologies capture a snapshot of dominantly peritidal environments during the Proterozoic. Early diagenetic chert preserves some of the most exceptional Proterozoic biosignatures in the form of microbial body fossils and mat textures. This fossiliferous and kerogenous chert formed in shallow marine environments, where chert nodules, layers, and lenses are often surrounded by and encased within carbonate deposits that themselves often contain kerogen and evidence of former microbial mats. Here, we review the record of biosignatures preserved in peritidal Proterozoic chert and chert-hosting carbonate and discuss this record in the context of experimental and environmental studies that have begun to shed light on the roles that microbes and organic compounds may have played in the formation of these deposits. Insights gained from these studies suggest temporal trends in microbial-environmental interactions and place new constraints on past environmental conditions, such as the concentration of silica in Proterozoic seawater, interactions among organic compounds and cations in seawater, and the influence of microbial physiology and biochemistry on selective preservation by silicification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey R. Moore
- Division of Geological and Planetary SciencesCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadenaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Mirna Daye
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | - Jian Gong
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
| | | | - Kurt Konhauser
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric SciencesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonAlbertaCanada
| | - Tanja Bosak
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary SciencesMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
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23
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Wang Q, Miao Q, Liu F, Wang X, Xu Q. Coupled effect of microbiologically induced calcium carbonate and biofilms in leachate. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 324:116350. [PMID: 36179474 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Fouling and clogging are persistent challenges to the collection and treatment of leachate. The main components of fouling and clogging are calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and biofilms. However, the relationships between CaCO3 and biofilms remain to be clarified. In this study, the interaction between microbially induced CaCO3 precipitation (MICP) and biofilms was investigated using Luria-Bertani (LB) or urea media. Results showed that the bacteria promoted the precipitation of CaCO3 and the formation of a complex mixture of biofilms. The amount of formed CaCO3 in the urea medium was 12.9 times of that in the LB medium. The high MICP potential in the urea medium was associated with increased pH and alkalinity. In addition, the clogging materials exhibited a layered structure and uneven distribution over the clogging width and depth profile. These results indicated the presence of nucleation sites of CaCO3 on the surface of and inside the bacteria. This research provides insights into the regulation of MICP and biofilms through dynamic control of clogging and fouling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Wang
- School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, University Town, Xili, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China
| | - Qianming Miao
- School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, University Town, Xili, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China
| | - Feng Liu
- School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, University Town, Xili, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China
| | - Xinwei Wang
- School of Advanced Materials, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, University Town, Xili, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China
| | - Qiyong Xu
- School of Environment and Energy, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, University Town, Xili, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China.
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24
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Alonso-Reyes DG, Galván FS, Irazoqui JM, Amadio A, Tschoeke D, Thompson F, Albarracín VH, Farias ME. Dissecting Light Sensing and Metabolic Pathways on the Millimeter Scale in High-Altitude Modern Stromatolites. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022:10.1007/s00248-022-02112-7. [PMID: 36161499 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-022-02112-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Modern non-lithifying stromatolites on the shore of the volcanic lake Socompa (SST) in the Puna are affected by several extreme conditions. The present study assesses for the first time light utilization and functional metabolic stratification of SST on a millimeter scale through shotgun metagenomics. In addition, a scanning-electron-microscopy approach was used to explore the community. The analysis on SST unveiled the profile of a photosynthetic mat, with cyanobacteria not directly exposed to light, but placed just below a high-UV-resistant community. Calvin-Benson and 3-hydroxypropinate cycles for carbon fixation were abundant in upper, oxic layers, while the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway was dominant in the deeper anoxic strata. The high abundance of genes for UV-screening and oxidant-quenching pigments and CPF (photoreactivation) in the UV-stressed layers could indicate that the zone itself works as a UV shield. There is a remarkable density of sequences associated with photoreceptors in the first two layers. Also, genetic evidence of photosynthesis split in eukaryotic (layer 1) and prokaryotic (layer 2). Photoheterotrophic bacteria, aerobic photoautotrophic bacteria, and anaerobic photoautotrophic bacteria coexist by selectively absorbing different parts of the light spectrum (blue, red, and IR respectively) at different positions of the mat. Genes for oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur metabolism account for the microelectrode chemical data and pigment measurements performed in previous publications. We also provide here an explanation for the vertical microbial mobility within the SST described previously. Finally, our study points to SST as ideal modern analogues of ancient ST.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Gonzalo Alonso-Reyes
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Ultraestructural Y Molecular, Centro Integral de Microscopía Electrónica (CIME,), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Camino de Sirga s/n, Finca El Manantial, Yerba Buena (4107), San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales y Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CCT, CONICET, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Fátima Silvina Galván
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Ultraestructural Y Molecular, Centro Integral de Microscopía Electrónica (CIME,), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Camino de Sirga s/n, Finca El Manantial, Yerba Buena (4107), San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - José Matías Irazoqui
- Instituto de Investigación de La Cadena Láctea (INTA-CONICET), Rafaela, Argentina
| | - Ariel Amadio
- Instituto de Investigación de La Cadena Láctea (INTA-CONICET), Rafaela, Argentina
| | - Diogo Tschoeke
- Institute of Biology and Coppe, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fabiano Thompson
- Institute of Biology and Coppe, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Virginia Helena Albarracín
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Ultraestructural Y Molecular, Centro Integral de Microscopía Electrónica (CIME,), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Camino de Sirga s/n, Finca El Manantial, Yerba Buena (4107), San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina.
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina.
| | - María Eugenia Farias
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales y Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CCT, CONICET, Tucumán, Argentina
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25
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Oehlert AM, Suosaari EP, Kong T, Piggot AM, Maizel D, Lascu I, Demergasso C, Chong Díaz G, Reid RP. Physical, chemical, and microbial feedbacks controlling brine geochemistry and lake morphology in polyextreme salar environments. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 836:155378. [PMID: 35489513 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Despite the harsh environmental conditions in the world's oldest and driest desert, some salt flat or 'salar' environments in the Atacama Desert host standing bodies of water known as saline lakes. Evaporite minerals deposited within saline lakes result from the equilibrium of environmental, sedimentological, and biogeochemical processes that occur in the salar; consequently, these minerals are sensitive records of human activities and ecological, evolutionary, and geological changes. The objective of this study was to evaluate feedbacks between physical, chemical, and microbial processes that culminate in distinct trends in brine chemistry, saline lake morphology, and associated evaporite sediments. Using samples from the Puquios of the Salar de Llamara, Atacama Desert, northern Chile, an analysis of spatial gradients and vertical stratification of lake elemental chemistry and mineral saturation indices were integrated with a comprehensive analysis of lake morphology, including depth, slope gradient, substrate type, and mineralogy. Lake waters ranged from saline to hypersaline, and exhibited normal, well mixed and inverse stratification patterns, and results suggest a correlation with lake morphology in the Salar de Llamara. Saline to hypersaline lakes (>150 mS/cm) with stratified brines tended to have crystalline substrate and deep (>35 cm) and steep-sided lake morphologies, while unstratified lakes with lower electrical conductivity (<90 mS/cm and microbial substrates had gentle slopes and characteristically shallow depths (<30 cm). Differences in minor element chemistry (Mn and Sr) between saline lakes were observed on scales of meters to kilometers, and result in different accessory mineral assemblages. Quantification of the physical, chemical, and microbial feedbacks that produce the observed heterogeneity in these ecosystems provides key insight into the geochemical composition and lake morphology of saline lakes in extreme environments around the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Oehlert
- Department of Marine Geosciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, USA.
| | - Erica P Suosaari
- Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA
| | - Tianshu Kong
- Department of Marine Geosciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, USA
| | - Alan M Piggot
- Bahamas Marine EcoCentre, Miami, FL 33156, USA; AP Research Inc, Miami, FL 33157, USA
| | - Daniela Maizel
- Department of Marine Geosciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, USA
| | - Ioan Lascu
- Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA
| | - Cecilia Demergasso
- Centro de Biotecnología, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Guillermo Chong Díaz
- Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - R Pamela Reid
- Department of Marine Geosciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, USA; Bahamas Marine EcoCentre, Miami, FL 33156, USA
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26
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Batzel GO, Moreno BK, Lopez LS, Nguyen CK, Livingston BT, Joester D, Lyons DC. Proteomic and Transcriptomic Analyses in the Slipper Snail Crepidula
fornicata Uncover Shell Matrix Genes Expressed During Adult and Larval Biomineralization. Integr Org Biol 2022; 4:obac023. [PMID: 35968217 PMCID: PMC9365450 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obac023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The gastropod shell is a composite composed of minerals and shell matrix proteins (SMPs). SMPs have been identified by proteomics in many molluscs, but few have been studied in detail. Open questions include (1) what gene regulatory networks regulate SMP expression, (2) what roles individual SMPs play in biomineralization, and (3) how the complement of SMPs changes over development. These questions are best addressed in a species in which gene perturbation studies are available; one such species is the slipper snail, Crepidula fornicata. Here, SEM and pXRD analysis demonstrated that the adult shell of C. fornicata exhibits crossed lamellar microstructure and is composed of aragonite. Using high-throughput proteomics we identified 185 SMPs occluded within the adult shell. Over half of the proteins in the shell proteome have known biomineralization domains, while at least 10% have no homologs in public databases. Differential gene expression analysis identified 20 SMP genes that are up-regulated in the shell-producing mantle tissue. Over half of these 20 SMPs are expressed during development with two, CfSMP1 and CfSMP2, expressed exclusively in the shell gland. Together, the description of the shell microstructure and a list of SMPs now sets the stage for studying the consequences of SMP gene knockdowns in molluscs.
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Affiliation(s)
- G O Batzel
- Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography , UCSD, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - B K Moreno
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - L S Lopez
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University , Long Beach, CA 90802, USA
| | - C K Nguyen
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University , Long Beach, CA 90802, USA
| | - B T Livingston
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University , Long Beach, CA 90802, USA
| | - D Joester
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University , Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - D C Lyons
- Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography , UCSD, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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27
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Nguyen STT, Vardeh DP, Nelson TM, Pearson LA, Kinsela AS, Neilan BA. Bacterial community structure and metabolic potential in microbialite-forming mats from South Australian saline lakes. GEOBIOLOGY 2022; 20:546-559. [PMID: 35312212 PMCID: PMC9311741 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Microbialites are sedimentary rocks created in association with benthic microorganisms. While they harbour complex microbial communities, Cyanobacteria perform critical roles in sediment stabilisation and accretion. Microbialites have been described from permanent and ephemeral saline lakes in South Australia; however, the microbial communities that generate and inhabit these biogeological structures have not been studied in detail. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the composition, diversity and metabolic potential of bacterial communities from different microbialite-forming mats and surrounding sediments in five South Australian saline coastal lakes using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and predictive metagenome analyses. While Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla recovered from the mats and sediments, Cyanobacteria were significantly more abundant in the mat samples. Interestingly, at lower taxonomic levels, the mat communities were vastly different across the five lakes. Comparative analysis of putative mat and sediment metagenomes via PICRUSt2 revealed important metabolic pathways driving the process of carbonate precipitation, including cyanobacterial oxygenic photosynthesis, ureolysis and nitrogen fixation. These pathways were highly conserved across the five examined lakes, although they appeared to be performed by distinct groups of bacterial taxa found in each lake. Stress response, quorum sensing and circadian clock were other important pathways predicted by the in silico metagenome analysis. The enrichment of CRISPR/Cas and phage shock associated genes in these cyanobacteria-rich communities suggests that they may be under selective pressure from viral infection. Together, these results highlight that a very stable ecosystem function is maintained by distinctly different communities in microbialite-forming mats in the five South Australian lakes and reinforce the concept that 'who' is in the community is not as critical as their net metabolic capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suong T. T. Nguyen
- School of Environmental and Life SciencesUniversity of NewcastleCallaghanNew South WalesAustralia
| | - David P. Vardeh
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular SciencesThe University of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Tiffanie M. Nelson
- School of Environmental and Life SciencesUniversity of NewcastleCallaghanNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Leanne A. Pearson
- School of Environmental and Life SciencesUniversity of NewcastleCallaghanNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Andrew S. Kinsela
- School of Civil and Environmental EngineeringThe University of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Brett A. Neilan
- School of Environmental and Life SciencesUniversity of NewcastleCallaghanNew South WalesAustralia
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular SciencesThe University of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
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28
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Anglés A, He Q, Sánchez García L, Carrizo D, Rodriguez N, Huang T, Shen Y, Amils R, Fernández-Remolar DC. Biospeleothems Formed by Fungal Activity During the Early Holocene in the “Salar de Uyuni”. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:913452. [PMID: 35814676 PMCID: PMC9260512 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.913452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The Chiquini and Galaxias caves contain speleothems that are templated by long fungal structures. They have been associated with the carbonate lacustrine deposits in the margins of the Coipasa and Uyuni Salar basins. During a wetter episode, such carbonates formed at the end of the last glaciation raising the lake level to more than 100 m in the Tauca events (15–12 ky). Such an event flooded the caves that eventually became a cryptic habitat in the lake. The caves show bizarre speleothems framed by large (>1 m) fungal buildings covering the older algal mineralized structures. Although the origin of the caves is not fully understood, the occurrence of two carbonatic units with very distinctive fabric suggests that they formed in two separated humid events. In this regard, the mineralized algal structures, showing the same features as the lacustrine carbonates, likely formed during the Tauca flooding events in the terminal Pleistocene that inundated older caves. The different caves were exposed to the atmosphere after a drop in the lake level that promoted alluvial erosion by <12–10 ky (Ticaña episode) under arid conditions. A last humid episode rising the lake surface 10 m above the Salar level, which was not enough to inundate the caves a second time, drove the formation of the biospeleothems by fungi biomineralization. The abundance and size of the preserved fungal structures suggest that they were sustained by a stable hydrological activity plus a constant organic supply. While nutrients could have been primarily sourced from the vegetal communities that occupied the exhumated lake margins, they might have also been released from the lacustrine carbonatic unit. The combination of hydrology and biological activities were likely determinants for a fast rock dissolution and mineralization ending in the construction of the fungal biospeleothems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angélica Anglés
- State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
- China National Space Administration (CNSA) Macau Center for Space Exploration and Science, Macau, China
- Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, Seattle, WA, United States
- *Correspondence: Angélica Anglés
| | - Qitao He
- State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
- China National Space Administration (CNSA) Macau Center for Space Exploration and Science, Macau, China
| | - Laura Sánchez García
- Centro de Astrobiología Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Carrizo
- Centro de Astrobiología Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Nuria Rodriguez
- Centro de Astrobiología Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ting Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
- China National Space Administration (CNSA) Macau Center for Space Exploration and Science, Macau, China
| | - Yan Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
- China National Space Administration (CNSA) Macau Center for Space Exploration and Science, Macau, China
| | - Ricardo Amils
- Centro de Astrobiología Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (INTA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - David C. Fernández-Remolar
- State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China
- China National Space Administration (CNSA) Macau Center for Space Exploration and Science, Macau, China
- Carl Sagan Center, The SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA, United States
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29
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Mineral Paragenesis Precipitating in Salt Flat Pools of Continental Environments Replicated in Microbial Mat Microcosms without Evaporation. MINERALS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/min12050646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Mineral precipitation can be observed in natural environments, such as lagoons, rivers, springs, and soils. The primary precipitation process has long been believed to be abiotic due to evaporation, leading to phase supersaturation. However, biotic interactions of microbial metabolism, organic compounds, and dissolved ions leading to mineral precipitation has been shown in laboratory studies using single-organism culture. The increase in pH inducing calcium carbonate precipitation due to oxygenic photosynthesis by Cyanobacteria and the release of ions due to organic matter decomposition by Firmicutes-inducing magnesium carbonate precipitation are recognized examples. As microbes do not live as pure cultures in natural environments but form complex communities, such pure culture lab studies do not reflect natural conditions. In this study, we grew natural complex microbial communities in microcosm conditions using filtered brine as water column and two types of natural gypsum substrates, and we replenished incubations to avoid evaporation. We monitored microbial communities through optical microscopy and analyzed mineral paragenesis in association with and without microbes, using different analytical techniques, such X-ray diffraction, and optical and field emission scanning electron microscopies. To detect changes throughout the experiment, small amounts of water column brine were extracted for physicochemial determinations. We were able to detect mineral paragenesis, avoiding evaporation, including major phases of chemical sedimentary rocks, such as gypsum, calcium carbonate, and some silicates in association to microbes. In addition, we evidenced that the use of natural substrates positively impacts growth of microbial communities, promoting the development of more biomass. This study can be seen as the first attempt and proof of concept of differentiating biotic and abiotic participation in evaporitic deposits, as they can form mineral paragenesis without evaporation. Future studies with microcosm experiments using microbial mats will be needed to establish mineral precipitation induced by micro-organisms and their extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), specifically to replicate mineral paragenesis sedimented from natural brines.
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Effect of Culture pH on Properties of Exopolymeric Substances from Synechococcus PCC7942: Implications for Carbonate Precipitation. GEOSCIENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/geosciences12050210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
The role of culture conditions on the production of exopolymeric substances (EPS) by Synechococcus strain PCC7942 was investigated. Carbonate mineral precipitation in these EPS was assessed in forced precipitation experiments. Cultures were grown in HEPES-buffered medium and non-buffered medium. The pH of buffered medium remained constant at 7.5, but in non-buffered medium it increased to 9.5 within a day and leveled off at 10.5. The cell yield at harvest was twice as high in non-buffered medium than in buffered medium. High molecular weight (>10 kDa) and low molecular weight (3–10 kDa) fractions of EPS were obtained from both cultures. The cell-specific EPS production in buffered medium was twice as high as in non-buffered medium. EPS from non-buffered cultures contained more negatively charged macromolecules and more proteins than EPS from buffered cultures. The higher protein content at elevated pH may be due to the induction of carbon-concentrating mechanisms, necessary to perform photosynthetic carbon fixation in these conditions. Forced precipitation showed smaller calcite carbonate crystals in EPS from non-buffered medium and larger minerals in polymers from buffered medium. Vaterite formed only at low EPS concentrations. Experimental results are used to conceptually model the impact of pH on the potential of cyanobacterial blooms to produce minerals. We hypothesize that in freshwater systems, small crystal production may benefit the picoplankton by minimizing the mineral ballast, and thus prolonging the residence time in the photic zone, which might result in slow sinking rates.
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Abstract
Here we review the application of molecular biological approaches to mineral precipitation in modern marine microbialites. The review focuses on the nearly two decades of nucleotide sequencing studies of the microbialites of Shark Bay, Australia; and The Bahamas. Molecular methods have successfully characterized the overall community composition of mats, pinpointed microbes involved in key metabolisms, and revealed patterns in the distributions of microbial groups and functional genes. Molecular tools have become widely accessible, and we can now aim to establish firmer links between microbes and mineralization. Two promising future directions include “zooming in” to assess the roles of specific organisms, microbial groups, and surfaces in carbonate biomineralization and “zooming out” to consider broader spans of space and time. A middle ground between the two can include model systems that contain representatives of important microbial groups, processes, and metabolisms in mats and simplify hypothesis testing. These directions will benefit from expanding reference datasets of marine microbes and enzymes and enrichments of representative microbes from mats. Such applications of molecular tools should improve our ability to interpret ancient and modern microbialites and increase the utility of these rocks as long-term recorders of microbial processes and environmental chemistry.
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Herrera-Castillo CM, Moratalla JJ, Belaústegui Z, Marugán-Lobón J, Martín-Abad H, Nebreda SM, López-Archilla AI, Buscalioni AD. A theropod trackway providing evidence of a pathological foot from the exceptional locality of Las Hoyas (upper Barremian, Serranía de Cuenca, Spain). PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264406. [PMID: 35385476 PMCID: PMC8985934 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe a trackway (LH-Mg-10-16) occurring in laminated carbonated limestones of the Las Hoyas locality, Serranía de Cuenca, Spain. It is unmistakably a large theropod dinosaur trackway encompassing two unusual aspects, namely, wide-steps, and a set of equally deformed left footprints (with a dislocated digit). The layer also preserves other vertebrate trails (fish Undichna) and different impressions in the sediment. To address these complex settings, we devised a multidisciplinary approach, including the ichnological and taphonomical descriptions, characterisation of the rock lithofacies using thin-sections, 3D structured-light digitalisation with a high precision of 200–400 μm, and a geometric morphometric comparison with a large sample of bipedal dinosaur trackways. Sedimentary analyses showed that the trackway was produced in a humid, benthonic microbial mat, the consistency and plasticity of which enabled the preservation of the details of the movement of the animal. The results of the geometric analysis indicate that the “wide-steps” of the trackway is not unusual compared to other trackways, providing evidence that it was made by a single individual with an estimated hip height approximately 2 m. Analogous pathologies in extant archosaurs that yield the combination of wide steps and deformed digits in the same trackway were considered. All results mutually support the hypothesis that a large theropod dinosaur, with a pathological foot, generated the trackway as it crossed an area of shallow water while slowly walking towards the main water source, thus stepping steadily over the benthonic mat over which multiple fish were swimming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos M. Herrera-Castillo
- Departamento Biología, Paleontología and CIPb-UAM (Center for the Integration in Paleobiology), Facultad Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Zain Belaústegui
- Departament Dinàmica de la Terra i de l’Oceà, Institut de Recerca de Biodiversitat, Facultad de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jesús Marugán-Lobón
- Departamento Biología, Paleontología and CIPb-UAM (Center for the Integration in Paleobiology), Facultad Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Hugo Martín-Abad
- Departamento Biología, Paleontología and CIPb-UAM (Center for the Integration in Paleobiology), Facultad Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sergio M. Nebreda
- Departamento Biología, Paleontología and CIPb-UAM (Center for the Integration in Paleobiology), Facultad Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana I. López-Archilla
- Departamento Ecología, Ecología Microbiana, Facultad Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Angela D. Buscalioni
- Departamento Biología, Paleontología and CIPb-UAM (Center for the Integration in Paleobiology), Facultad Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
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Synthetic Musk Fragrances in Water Systems and Their Impact on Microbial Communities. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14050692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The presence of emerging contaminants in aquatic systems and their potential effects on ecosystems have sparked the interest of the scientific community with a consequent increase in their report. Moreover, the presence of emerging contaminants in the environment should be assessed through the “One-Health” approach since all the living organisms are exposed to those contaminants at some point and several works already reported their impact on ecological interactions. There are a wide variety of concerning emerging contaminants in water sources, such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, house-care products, nanomaterials, fire-retardants, and all the vast number of different compounds of indispensable use in routine tasks. Synthetic musks are examples of fragrances used in the formulation of personal and/or house-care products, which may potentially cause significant ecotoxicological concerns. However, there is little-to-no information regarding the effect of synthetic musks on microbial communities. This study reviews the presence of musk fragrances in drinking water and their impact on aquatic microbial communities, with a focus on the role of biofilms in aquatic systems. Moreover, this review highlights the research needed for a better understating of the impact of non-pharmaceutical contaminants in microbial populations and public health.
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Contrasting Modes of Carbonate Precipitation in a Hypersaline Microbial Mat and Their Influence on Biomarker Preservation (Kiritimati, Central Pacific). MINERALS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/min12020267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Microbial mats represented the earliest complex ecosystems on Earth, since fossil mineralized examples (i.e., microbialites) date back to the Archean Eon. Some microbialites contain putative remains of organic matter (OM), however the processes and pathways that lead to the preservation of OM within microbialite minerals are still poorly understood. Here, a multidisciplinary study is presented (including petrographic, mineralogical and organic geochemical analyses), focusing on a modern calcifying mat from a hypersaline lake in the Kiritimati atoll (Central Pacific). The results show that this mat has a complex history, with two main growth phases under hypersaline conditions, separated by an interruption caused by desiccation and/or freshening of the lake. The mineral precipitates of the mat are predominantly aragonitic and two contrasting precipitation modes are observed: the main growth phases of the mat were characterized by the slow formation of irregular micritic particles with micropeloidal textures and subspherical particles, linked to the degradation of the exopolymer (EPS) matrix of the mat; whereas the interruption period was characterized by the rapid development of a thin but laterally continuous crust composed of superposed fibrous aragonite botryoids that entombed their contemporaneous benthic microbial community. These two precipitation modes triggered different preservation pathways for the OM of the mat as the thin crust shows a particular lipid biomarker signature, different from that of other layers and the relatively rapid precipitation of the crust protecting the underlying lipids from degradation, causing them to show a preservation equivalent to that of a modern active microbial community, despite them being >1100 years old. Equivalent thin mineral crusts occur in other microbialite examples and, thus, this study highlights them as excellent targets for the search of well-preserved biomarker signatures in fossil microbialites. Nevertheless, the results of this work warn for extreme caution when interpreting complex microbialite biomarker signatures, advising combined petrographic, mineralogical and geochemical investigations for the different microbialite layers and mineral microfabrics.
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Successive Modes of Carbonate Precipitation in Microbialites along the Hydrothermal Spring of La Salsa in Laguna Pastos Grandes (Bolivian Altiplano). GEOSCIENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/geosciences12020088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Interpreting the paleoecosystems of ancient microbialites relies on our understanding of how modern microbialites form in relation with the bio-physico-chemical conditions of their environment. In this study, we investigated the formation of modern carbonate microbialites in the hydrothermal system of La Salsa in Laguna Pastos Grandes (Bolivia), which spans a wide range of physicochemical conditions and associated microbial communities. By combining dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) isotope mass balance modeling, analysis of carbonates solubility diagram, and imaging of the microorganisms–mineral assemblages within microbial mats, we found that several modes of carbonate precipitation dominate in distinct portions of the hydrothermal system. (1) In high-[DIC] waters, undersaturated to slightly saturated with respect to calcite, cyanobacterial calcification is promoted by CO2 degassing and photosynthetic activity within the microbial mats. (2) In alkaline waters undergoing sustained evaporation, the precipitation of an amorphous calcium carbonate phase seems to control the water a(Ca2+)/a(CO32−) ratio and to serve as a precursor to micritic calcite formation in microbial mats. (3) In saline ephemeral ponds, where the carbonate precipitation is the highest, calcite precipitation probably occurs through a different pathway, leading to a different calcite texture, i.e., aggregates of rhombohedral crystals.
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Medina-Chávez NO, Travisano M. Archaeal Communities: The Microbial Phylogenomic Frontier. Front Genet 2022; 12:693193. [PMID: 35154237 PMCID: PMC8826477 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.693193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Archaea are a unique system for investigating the diversity of life. There are the most diverse group of organisms with the longest evolutionary history of life on Earth. Phylogenomic investigations reveal the complex evolutionary history of Archaea, overturning longstanding views of the history of life. They exist in the harshest environments and benign conditions, providing a system to investigate the basis for living in extreme environments. They are frequently members of microbial communities, albeit generally rare. Archaea were central in the evolution of Eukaryotes and can be used as a proxy for studying life on other planets. Future advances will depend not only upon phylogenomic studies but also on a better understanding of isolation and cultivation techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahui Olin Medina-Chávez
- Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States.,BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
| | - Michael Travisano
- Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States.,BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States.,Minnesota Center for the Philosophy of Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
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Banker RMW, Lipovac J, Stachowicz JJ, Gold DA. Sodium molybdate does not inhibit sulfate-reducing bacteria but increases shell growth in the Pacific oyster Magallana gigas. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0262939. [PMID: 35139090 PMCID: PMC8827440 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent work on microbe-host interactions has revealed an important nexus between the environment, microbiome, and host fitness. Marine invertebrates that build carbonate skeletons are of particular interest in this regard because of predicted effects of ocean acidification on calcified organisms, and the potential of microbes to buffer these impacts. Here we investigate the role of sulfate-reducing bacteria, a group well known to affect carbonate chemistry, in Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas) shell formation. We reared oyster larvae to 51 days post fertilization and exposed organisms to control and sodium molybdate conditions, the latter of which is thought to inhibit bacterial sulfate reduction. Contrary to expectations, we found that sodium molybdate did not uniformly inhibit sulfate-reducing bacteria in oysters, and oysters exposed to molybdate grew larger shells over the experimental period. Additionally, we show that microbiome composition, host gene expression, and shell size were distinct between treatments earlier in ontogeny, but became more similar by the end of the experiment. Although additional testing is required to fully elucidate the mechanisms, our work provides preliminary evidence that M. gigas is capable of regulating microbiome dysbiosis caused by environmental perturbations, which is reflected in shell development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxanne M. W. Banker
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Jacob Lipovac
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - John J. Stachowicz
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - David A. Gold
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America
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Medina Ferrer F, Rosen MR, Feyhl-Buska J, Russell VV, Sønderholm F, Loyd S, Shapiro R, Stamps BW, Petryshyn V, Demirel-Floyd C, Bailey JV, Johnson HA, Spear JR, Corsetti FA. Potential role for microbial ureolysis in the rapid formation of carbonate tufa mounds. GEOBIOLOGY 2022; 20:79-97. [PMID: 34337850 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Modern carbonate tufa towers in the alkaline (~pH 9.5) Big Soda Lake (BSL), Nevada, exhibit rapid precipitation rates (exceeding 3 cm/year) and host diverse microbial communities. Geochemical indicators reveal that carbonate precipitation is, in part, promoted by the mixing of calcium-rich groundwater and carbonate-rich lake water, such that a microbial role for carbonate precipitation is unknown. Here, we characterize the BSL microbial communities and evaluate their potential effects on carbonate precipitation that may influence fast carbonate precipitation rates of the active tufa mounds of BSL. Small subunit rRNA gene surveys indicate a diverse microbial community living endolithically, in interior voids, and on tufa surfaces. Metagenomic DNA sequencing shows that genes associated with metabolisms that are capable of increasing carbonate saturation (e.g., photosynthesis, ureolysis, and bicarbonate transport) are abundant. Enzyme activity assays revealed that urease and carbonic anhydrase, two microbial enzymes that promote carbonate precipitation, are active in situ in BSL tufa biofilms, and urease also increased calcium carbonate precipitation rates in laboratory incubation analyses. We propose that, although BSL tufas form partially as a result of water mixing, tufa-inhabiting microbiota promote rapid carbonate authigenesis via ureolysis, and potentially via bicarbonate dehydration and CO2 outgassing by carbonic anhydrase. Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation in BSL tufas may generate signatures preserved in the carbonate microfabric, such as stromatolitic layers, which could serve as models for developing potential biosignatures on Earth and elsewhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Medina Ferrer
- Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Michael R Rosen
- US Geological Survey, California Water Science Center, Carson City, Nevada, USA
| | - Jayme Feyhl-Buska
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Virginia V Russell
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Fredrik Sønderholm
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sean Loyd
- Department of Geological Sciences, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, California, USA
| | | | - Blake W Stamps
- 711th Human Performance Wing, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, USA
- UES, Inc., Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Victoria Petryshyn
- Environmental Studies Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | | | - Jake V Bailey
- Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Hope A Johnson
- Department of Biological Science, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, California, USA
| | - John R Spear
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, USA
| | - Frank A Corsetti
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Vignale FA, Lencina AI, Stepanenko TM, Soria MN, Saona LA, Kurth D, Guzmán D, Foster JS, Poiré DG, Villafañe PG, Albarracín VH, Contreras M, Farías ME. Lithifying and Non-Lithifying Microbial Ecosystems in the Wetlands and Salt Flats of the Central Andes. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2022; 83:1-17. [PMID: 33730193 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01725-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The wetlands and salt flats of the Central Andes region are unique extreme environments as they are located in high-altitude saline deserts, largely influenced by volcanic activity. Environmental factors, such as ultraviolet (UV) radiation, arsenic content, high salinity, low dissolved oxygen content, extreme daily temperature fluctuation, and oligotrophic conditions, resemble the early Earth and potentially extraterrestrial conditions. The discovery of modern microbialites and microbial mats in the Central Andes during the past decade has increased the interest in this area as an early Earth analog. In this work, we review the current state of knowledge of Central Andes region environments found within lakes, small ponds or puquios, and salt flats of Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia, many of them harboring a diverse range of microbial communities that we have termed Andean Microbial Ecosystems (AMEs). We have integrated the data recovered from all the known AMEs and compared their biogeochemistry and microbial diversity to achieve a better understanding of them and, consequently, facilitate their protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico A Vignale
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI)-CCT-CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
- Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN)-CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustina I Lencina
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI)-CCT-CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Tatiana M Stepanenko
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI)-CCT-CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Mariana N Soria
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI)-CCT-CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Luis A Saona
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI)-CCT-CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Daniel Kurth
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI)-CCT-CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Daniel Guzmán
- Centro de Biotecnología (CBT), Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnología, Universidad Mayor de San Simón (UMSS), Cochabamba, Bolivia
| | - Jamie S Foster
- Space Life Science Lab, Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Merritt Island, FL, USA
| | - Daniel G Poiré
- Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas (CIG), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP)-CONICET, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Patricio G Villafañe
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI)-CCT-CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Virginia H Albarracín
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI)-CCT-CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
- Centro Integral de Microscopía Electrónica (CIME)-CCT-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán (UNT), Tucumán, Argentina
| | | | - María E Farías
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI)-CCT-CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina.
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Mazière C, Bodo M, Perdrau MA, Cravo-Laureau C, Duran R, Dupuy C, Hubas C. Climate change influences chlorophylls and bacteriochlorophylls metabolism in hypersaline microbial mat. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 802:149787. [PMID: 34464796 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the effect of the climatic change on the phototrophic communities of hypersaline microbial mats. Ocean acidification and warming were simulated alone and together on microbial mats placed into mesocosms. As expected, the temperature in the warming treatments increased by 4 °C from the initial temperature. Surprisingly, no significance difference was observed between the water pH of the different treatments despite of a decrease of 0.4 unit pH in the water reserves of acidification treatments. The salinity increased on the warming treatments and the dissolved oxygen concentration increased and was higher on the acidification treatments. A total of 37 pigments were identified belonging to chlorophylls, carotenes and xanthophylls families. The higher abundance of unknown chlorophyll molecules called chlorophyll derivatives was observed in the acidification alone treatment with a decrease in chlorophyll a abundance. This change in pigmentary composition was accompanied by a higher production of bound extracellular carbohydrates but didn't affect the photosynthetic efficiency of the microbial mats. A careful analysis of the absorption properties of these molecules indicated that these chlorophyll derivatives were likely bacteriochlorophyll c contained in the chlorosomes of green anoxygenic phototroph bacteria. Two hypotheses can be drawn from these results: 1/ the phototrophic communities of the microbial mats were modified under acidification treatment leading to a higher relative abundance of green anoxygenic bacteria, or 2/ the highest availability of CO2 in the environment has led to a shift in the metabolism of green anoxygenic bacteria being more competitive than other phototrophs.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Mazière
- Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM UMR 525, Bât. IBEAS, BP1155, 64013 Pau cedex, France; La Rochelle Université, CNRS, UMR 7266 LIENSs (Littoral Environnement et Sociétés), 2, rue Olympe de Gouges, Bât. ILE, 17000 La Rochelle, France.
| | - M Bodo
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR BOREA 8067, MNHN-IRD-CNRS-SU-UCN-UA, Station Marine de Concarneau, 29900 Concarneau, France
| | - M A Perdrau
- La Rochelle Université, CNRS, UMR 7266 LIENSs (Littoral Environnement et Sociétés), 2, rue Olympe de Gouges, Bât. ILE, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - C Cravo-Laureau
- Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM UMR 525, Bât. IBEAS, BP1155, 64013 Pau cedex, France
| | - R Duran
- Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, E2S UPPA, CNRS, IPREM UMR 525, Bât. IBEAS, BP1155, 64013 Pau cedex, France
| | - C Dupuy
- La Rochelle Université, CNRS, UMR 7266 LIENSs (Littoral Environnement et Sociétés), 2, rue Olympe de Gouges, Bât. ILE, 17000 La Rochelle, France
| | - C Hubas
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR BOREA 8067, MNHN-IRD-CNRS-SU-UCN-UA, Station Marine de Concarneau, 29900 Concarneau, France
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Campbell MA, Coolen MJL, Visscher PT, Morris T, Grice K. Structure and function of Shark Bay microbial communities following tropical cyclone Olwyn: A metatranscriptomic and organic geochemical perspective. GEOBIOLOGY 2021; 19:642-664. [PMID: 34180124 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Shark Bay, Western Australia, is episodically impacted by tropical cyclones. During 2015, the region was hit by a category 3 cyclone, "severe tropical cyclone Olywn," leading to the formation of a black sludge in an intertidal zone harboring microbial mats and microbialites. Upon returning to the impacted site 12 months later, the black sludge deposit was still recognizable between the microbialite columns and mucilaginous cobbles near the shoreline in the impacted area. Metatranscriptomic and organic geochemical analyses were carried out on the cyclone-derived materials and impacted microbial mat communities to unravel the structure, function, and potential preservation of these deposits following a tropical cyclone. It was found that samples derived from the black sludge contained low relative abundances of cyanobacteria but had higher proportions of heterotrophic and anaerobic microorganisms (e.g., methanogens and sulfate-reducing bacteria). Increased metabolic activity by these microorganisms (e.g., sulfate reduction and organic matter degradation) is thought to drive calcium carbonate precipitation and helps in mat preservation. Comparison of the aliphatic biomarker by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses showed that C25 highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) alkenes were significantly higher in the cyclone-derived materials attributed to the relocation of subtidal sediments containing HBI-producing diatom communities by the tropical cyclone. Raney nickel desulfurization of the polar fraction extracted from a mucilaginous cobble revealed sulfur-bound hopanoids and a series of benzohopanes. The presence of these compounds could be indicative of microbial matter that has been influenced by the tropical cyclone which may have caused elevated levels of water column anoxia promoting increased sulfurization of the organic matter to occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Campbell
- WA-Organic Isotope Geochemistry Centre, The Institute for Geoscience Research, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Marco J L Coolen
- WA-Organic Isotope Geochemistry Centre, The Institute for Geoscience Research, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Pieter T Visscher
- Departments of Marine Sciences and Geoscience, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Australian Centre for Astrobiology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Therese Morris
- Applied Geology, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Kliti Grice
- WA-Organic Isotope Geochemistry Centre, The Institute for Geoscience Research, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
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Vignale FA, Kurth D, Lencina AI, Poiré DG, Chihuailaf E, Muñoz-Herrera NC, Novoa F, Contreras M, Turjanski AG, Farías ME. Geobiology of Andean Microbial Ecosystems Discovered in Salar de Atacama, Chile. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:762076. [PMID: 34777316 PMCID: PMC8581658 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.762076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The Salar de Atacama in the Chilean Central Andes harbors unique microbial ecosystems due to extreme environmental conditions, such as high altitude, low oxygen pressure, high solar radiation, and high salinity. Combining X-ray diffraction analyses, scanning electron microscopy and molecular diversity studies, we have characterized twenty previously unexplored Andean microbial ecosystems in eight different lakes and wetlands from the middle-east and south-east regions of this salt flat. The mats and microbialites studied are mainly formed by calcium carbonate (aragonite and calcite) and halite, whereas the endoevaporites are composed predominantly of gypsum and halite. The carbonate-rich mats and microbialites are dominated by Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria phyla. Within the phylum Proteobacteria, the most abundant classes are Alphaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria. While in the phylum Bacteroidetes, the most abundant classes are Bacteroidia and Rhodothermia. Cyanobacteria, Chloroflexi, Planctomycetes, and Verrucomicrobia phyla are also well-represented in the majority of these systems. Gypsum endoevaporites, on the contrary, are dominated by Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Euryarchaeota phyla. The Cyanobacteria phylum is also abundant in these systems, but it is less represented in comparison to mats and microbialites. Regarding the eukaryotic taxa, diatoms are key structural components in most of the microbial ecosystems studied. The genera of diatoms identified were Achnanthes, Fallacia, Halamphora, Mastogloia, Navicula, Nitzschia, and Surirella. Normally, in the mats and microbialites, diatoms form nano-globular carbonate aggregates with filamentous cyanobacteria and other prokaryotic cells, suggesting their participation in the mineral precipitation process. This work expands our knowledge of the microbial ecosystems inhabiting the extreme environments from the Central Andes region, which is important to ensure their protection and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico A. Vignale
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CCT, CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Bioinformática Estructural, Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN)-CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Daniel Kurth
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CCT, CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Agustina I. Lencina
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CCT, CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Daniel G. Poiré
- Centro de Investigaciones Geológicas (CIG), Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP)-CONICET, La Plata, Argentina
| | | | | | | | | | - Adrián G. Turjanski
- Laboratorio de Bioinformática Estructural, Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN)-CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María E. Farías
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones Microbiológicas de Lagunas Andinas (LIMLA), Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos (PROIMI), CCT, CONICET, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
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Janssen K, Mähler B, Rust J, Bierbaum G, McCoy VE. The complex role of microbial metabolic activity in fossilization. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:449-465. [PMID: 34649299 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria play an important role in the fossilization of soft tissues; their metabolic activities drive the destruction of the tissues and also strongly influence mineralization. Some environmental conditions, such as anoxia, cold temperatures, and high salinity, are considered widely to promote fossilization by modulating bacterial activity. However, bacteria are extremely diverse, and have developed metabolic adaptations to a wide range of stressful conditions. Therefore, the influence of the environment on bacterial activity, and of their metabolic activity on fossilization, is complex. A number of examples illustrate that simple, general assumptions about the role of bacteria in soft tissue fossilization cannot explain all preservational pathways: (i) experimental results show that soft tissues of cnidaria decay less in oxic than anoxic conditions, and in the fossil record are found more commonly in fossil sites deposited under oxic conditions rather than anoxic environments; (ii) siderite concretions, which often entomb soft tissue fossils, precipitate due to a complex mixture of sulfate- and iron reduction by some bacterial species, running counter to original theories that iron reduction is the primary driver of siderite concretion growth; (iii) arthropod brains, now widely accepted to be preserved in many Cambrian fossil sites, are one of the first structures to decay in taphonomic experiments, indicating that their fossilization processes are complex and influenced by bacterial activity. In order to expand our understanding of the complex process of bacterially driven soft tissue fossilization, more research needs to be done, on fossils themselves and in taphonomic experiments, to determine how the complex variation in microbial metabolic activity influences decay and mineralization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Janssen
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Medical Faculty, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Bastian Mähler
- Paleontology Section, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jes Rust
- Paleontology Section, Institute of Geosciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn, 53115, Bonn, Germany
| | - Gabriele Bierbaum
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Medical Faculty, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Victoria E McCoy
- Department of Geosciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53211, U.S.A
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Iniesto M, Moreira D, Benzerara K, Muller E, Bertolino P, Tavera R, López-García P. Rapid formation of mature microbialites in Lake Alchichica, Mexico. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2021; 13:600-605. [PMID: 34396701 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 04/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Microbialites are emblematic sedimentary rocks formed by phylogenetically and metabolically complex microbial communities thriving under specific physicochemical conditions. Most microbialites are photosynthesis-based ecosystems frequently formed by carbonates, thereby capturing inorganic carbon in the form of both, organic matter and mineral precipitates. However, little is known about the amount of sequestered carbon and the kinetics of the process, that is, microbialite growth rate. To assess microbialite growth rate and the influence of substrates on carbonate formation in Alchichica, an alkaline crater lake harbouring well-developed carbonate microbialites, we incubated in situ sterilized Nylon mesh, hydromagnesite and aragonite crystals, and bleached-coral aragonite for 2 years. We observed the rapid formation of nascent hydromagnesite and aragonite-containing microbialites on Nylon mesh, with an average growth rate of ~0.6 (and up to 1) mm year-1 . By contrast, only thin (< 0.2 mm) biofilms developed on exposed hydromagnesite and aragonite crystals and bleached-coral aragonite, suggesting decoupled microbial colonization and biomineralization and/or potential interference of those mineral surfaces with new carbonate nucleation. Microbial communities associated with 2-year-old microbialites and biofilms were fully comparable to mature communities populating Lake Alchichica indigenous microbialites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Iniesto
- Unité d'Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Orsay, France
| | - David Moreira
- Unité d'Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Orsay, France
| | - Karim Benzerara
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Elodie Muller
- Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Paola Bertolino
- Unité d'Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Orsay, France
| | - Rosaluz Tavera
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, DF Mexico, Mexico
| | - Purificación López-García
- Unité d'Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, Orsay, France
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45
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Nandre V, Kumbhar N, Battu S, Kale Y, Bagade A, Haram S, Kodam K. Siderophore mediated mineralization of struvite: A novel greener route of sustainable phosphate management. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 203:117511. [PMID: 34375932 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Efficient and sustainable removal of phosphate ions from an aqueous solution is of great challenge. Herein we demonstrated a greener route for phosphate recovery through struvite formation by using bacterial siderophore. This method was efficient for removal of phosphate as low as 1.3 mM with 99% recovery efficiency. The siderophore produced by Pseudomonas taiwanensis R-12-2 act as template for the nucleation of struvite crystals and was found sustainable for recycling the phosphorous efficiently after twenty cycles. The formation of struvite crystals is driven by surrounding pH (9.0) and presence of Mg2+ and NH4+ ions along with PO43- and siderophore which was further validated by computational studies. The morphology of struvite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, followed by elemental analysis. Furthermore, our results revealed that the siderophore plays an important role in struvite biomineralization. We have successfully demonstrated the phosphate sequestration by using industrial waste samples, as possible application for environmental sustainability and phosphate conservation. For the first time electrochemical super-capacitance performance of the struvite was studied. The specific capacitance value for the struvite was found to be 320 F g-1 at 1.87 A g-1 and retained 92 % capacitance after 250 cycles. The study revealed the potential implications of siderophore for the phosphate recycling and the new mechanism for biomineralization by sequestering into struvite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinod Nandre
- Department of Chemistry, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India
| | - Navanath Kumbhar
- Department of Chemistry, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India
| | - Shateesh Battu
- Department of Chemistry, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India
| | - Yuvraj Kale
- Department of Chemistry, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India
| | - Aditi Bagade
- Department of Chemistry, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India
| | - Santosh Haram
- Department of Chemistry, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India
| | - Kisan Kodam
- Department of Chemistry, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007, India.
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46
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Liu X, Zarfel G, van der Weijden R, Loiskandl W, Bitschnau B, Dinkla IJT, Fuchs EC, Paulitsch-Fuchs AH. Density-dependent microbial calcium carbonate precipitation by drinking water bacteria via amino acid metabolism and biosorption. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 202:117444. [PMID: 34314923 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Drinking water plumbing systems appear to be a unique environment for microorganisms as they contain few nutrients but a high mineral concentration. Interactions between mineral content and bacteria, such as microbial calcium carbonate precipitation (MCP) however, has not yet attracted too much attention in drinking water sector. This study aims to carefully examine MCP behavior of two drinking water bacteria species, which may potentially link scaling and biofouling processes in drinking water distribution systems. Evidence from cell density evolution, chemical parameters, and microscopy suggest that drinking water isolates can mediate CaCO3 precipitation through previously overlooked MCP mechanisms like ammonification or biosorption. The results also illustrate the active control of bacteria on the MCP process, as the calcium starts to concentrate onto cell surfaces only after reaching a certain cell density, even though the cell surfaces are shown to be the ideal location for the CaCO3 nucleation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxia Liu
- Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands;; Institute of Hydraulics and Rural Water Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gernot Zarfel
- Diagnostic and Research Center for Molecular BioMedicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Renata van der Weijden
- Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands;; Sub-Department of Environmental Technology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Willibald Loiskandl
- Institute of Hydraulics and Rural Water Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Brigitte Bitschnau
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
| | - Inez J T Dinkla
- Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
| | - Elmar C Fuchs
- Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands;; Optical Sciences group, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente. Twente. the Netherlands.
| | - Astrid H Paulitsch-Fuchs
- Diagnostic and Research Center for Molecular BioMedicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; School of Health Sciences & Social Work, Biomedical Sciences, Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, Klagenfurt, Austria
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Saghaï A, Zivanovic Y, Moreira D, Tavera R, López-García P. A Novel Microbialite-Associated Phototrophic Chloroflexi Lineage Exhibiting a Quasi-Clonal Pattern along Depth. Genome Biol Evol 2021; 12:1207-1216. [PMID: 32544224 PMCID: PMC7486959 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Chloroflexales (Chloroflexi) are typical members of the anoxygenic photosynthesizing component of microbial mats and have mostly been characterized from communities associated to hot springs. Here, we report the assembly of five metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of a novel lineage of Chloroflexales found in mesophilic lithifying microbial mats (microbialites) in Lake Alchichica (Mexico). Genomic and phylogenetic analyses revealed that the bins shared 92% of their genes, and these genes were nearly identical despite being assembled from samples collected along a depth gradient (1-15 m depth). We tentatively name this lineage Candidatus Lithoflexus mexicanus. Metabolic predictions based on the MAGs suggest that these chlorosome-lacking mixotrophs share features in central carbon metabolism, electron transport, and adaptations to life under oxic and anoxic conditions, with members of two related lineages, Chloroflexineae and Roseiflexineae. Contrasting with the other diverse microbialite community members, which display much lower genomic conservation along the depth gradient, Ca. L. mexicanus MAGs exhibit remarkable similarity. This might reflect a particular flexibility to acclimate to varying light conditions with depth or the capacity to occupy a very specific spatial ecological niche in microbialites from different depths. Alternatively, Ca. L. mexicanus may also have the ability to modulate its gene expression as a function of the local environmental conditions during diel cycles in microbialites along the depth gradient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurélien Saghaï
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France.,Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Yvan Zivanovic
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - David Moreira
- Ecologie Systématique Evolution, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Rosaluz Tavera
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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48
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Hoffman SK, Seitz KW, Havird JC, Weese DA, Santos SR. Phenotypic Comparability from Genotypic Variability among Physically Structured Microbial Consortia. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 60:288-303. [PMID: 32353148 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbiomes represent the collective bacteria, archaea, protist, fungi, and virus communities living in or on individual organisms that are typically multicellular eukaryotes. Such consortia have become recognized as having significant impacts on the development, health, and disease status of their hosts. Since understanding the mechanistic connections between an individual's genetic makeup and their complete set of traits (i.e., genome to phenome) requires consideration at different levels of biological organization, this should include interactions with, and the organization of, microbial consortia. To understand microbial consortia organization, we elucidated the genetic constituents among phenotypically similar (and hypothesized functionally-analogous) layers (i.e., top orange, second orange, pink, and green layers) in the unique laminated orange cyanobacterial-bacterial crusts endemic to Hawaii's anchialine ecosystem. High-throughput amplicon sequencing of ribosomal RNA hypervariable regions (i.e., Bacteria-specific V6 and Eukarya-biased V9) revealed microbial richness increasing by crust layer depth, with samples of a given layer more similar to different layers from the same geographic site than to their phenotypically-analogous layer from different sites. Furthermore, samples from sites on the same island were more similar to each other, regardless of which layer they originated from, than to analogous layers from another island. However, cyanobacterial and algal taxa were abundant in all surface and bottom layers, with anaerobic and chemoautotrophic taxa concentrated in the middle two layers, suggesting crust oxygenation from both above and below. Thus, the arrangement of oxygenated vs. anoxygenated niches in these orange crusts is functionally distinct relative to other laminated cyanobacterial-bacterial communities examined to date, with convergent evolution due to similar environmental conditions a likely driver for these phenotypically comparable but genetically distinct microbial consortia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie K Hoffman
- Department of Biological Sciences and Molette Laboratory for Climate Change and Environmental Studies, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Green River College, Auburn, WA 98092, USA
| | - Kiley W Seitz
- Department of Biological Sciences and Molette Laboratory for Climate Change and Environmental Studies, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA.,Strutural and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biological Laboratory, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Justin C Havird
- Department of Biological Sciences and Molette Laboratory for Climate Change and Environmental Studies, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA.,Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - David A Weese
- Department of Biological Sciences and Molette Laboratory for Climate Change and Environmental Studies, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA.,Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, GA 31061, USA
| | - Scott R Santos
- Department of Biological Sciences and Molette Laboratory for Climate Change and Environmental Studies, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
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49
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Gerschermann S, Ballhaus C, Gäb F. Rheological properties of calcite oozes: Implications for the fossilisation in the plattenkalks of the Solnhofen-Eichstätt lagoons in the Franconian Alb, Germany. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0252469. [PMID: 34077479 PMCID: PMC8171948 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We report on an experimental study to investigate the sedimentation behaviour and rheological properties of extremely fine-grained calcite oozes. The experiments are aimed at clarifying if thixotropic behaviour may have played a role in the preservation of marine biota in plattenkalks of the Solnhofen lagoons of the Franconian Alb. Calcite particles with grain sizes from 2.2 to 4.4 μm were sedimented from water, seawater proxies, and hypersaline brines with up to 14 wt.% NaCl, for 170 days. High salinities as envisioned for the bottom waters of some Solnhofen lagoons slow down settling rates of calcite and may produce plattenkalks more porous and more friable than plattenkalks elsewhere in the Solnhofen archipelago. Rheological properties of calcite suspensions were measured with an oscillation rheometer. Calcite oozes with 40 vol.% calcite in suspension behave thixotropically regardless of the salinity of the pore solutions. Thixotropic behaviour may have the potential to promote the fossilisation of marine biota. Even if the sediment cover is thin, i.e. a few millimeters, a carcass covered by a thixotropic sediment would be largely isolated from the overlying water column because pore solutions in thixotropic media hardly communicate with the overlying water column. A fish carcass covered by a thixotropic sediment could impose local-scale physicochemical conditions on its direct sedimentary envelope favourable for preservation and the replacement of organic material by inorganic materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sydney Gerschermann
- Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Geographisches Institut, Universität zu Köln, Köln, Germany
| | - Chris Ballhaus
- Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Fabian Gäb
- Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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50
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Present TM, Gomes ML, Trower EJ, Stein NT, Lingappa UF, Naviaux J, Thorpe MT, Cantine MD, Fischer WW, Knoll AH, Grotzinger JP. Non-lithifying microbial ecosystem dissolves peritidal lime sand. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3037. [PMID: 34031392 PMCID: PMC8144198 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23006-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbialites accrete where environmental conditions and microbial metabolisms promote lithification, commonly through carbonate cementation. On Little Ambergris Cay, Turks and Caicos Islands, microbial mats occur widely in peritidal environments above ooid sand but do not become lithified or preserved. Sediment cores and porewater geochemistry indicated that aerobic respiration and sulfide oxidation inhibit lithification and dissolve calcium carbonate sand despite widespread aragonite precipitation from platform surface waters. Here, we report that in tidally pumped environments, microbial metabolisms can negate the effects of taphonomically-favorable seawater chemistry on carbonate mineral saturation and microbialite development. Present et al. examine the processes controlling lithification of microbial mats in a Caribbean peritidal carbonate environment. The authors present sedimentological and geochemical evidence of a surprising bias against preserving the most robust, widespread microbial ecosystems in the sedimentary record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodore M Present
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
| | - Maya L Gomes
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Elizabeth J Trower
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Nathan T Stein
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Usha F Lingappa
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - John Naviaux
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Michael T Thorpe
- NASA Postdoctoral Program, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Marjorie D Cantine
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Woodward W Fischer
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Andrew H Knoll
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - John P Grotzinger
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
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