1
|
Rego ES, Busigny V, Lalonde SV, Philippot P, Bouyon A, Rossignol C, Babinski M, de Cássia Zapparoli A. Anoxygenic photosynthesis linked to Neoarchean iron formations in Carajás (Brazil). GEOBIOLOGY 2021; 19:326-341. [PMID: 33660904 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12438] [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: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Microbial activity is often invoked as a direct or indirect contributor to the precipitation of ancient chemical sedimentary rocks such as Precambrian iron formations (IFs). Determining a specific metabolic pathway from the geological record remains a challenge, however, due to a lack of constraints on the initial conditions and microbially induced redox reactions involved in the formation of iron oxides. Thus, there is ongoing debate concerning the role of photoferrotrophy, that is the process by which inorganic carbon is fixed into organic matter using light as an energy source and Fe(II) as an electron donor, in the deposition of IFs. Here, we examine ~2.74-Ga-old Neoarchean IFs and associated carbonates from the Carajás Mineral Province, Brazil, to reconstruct redox conditions and to infer the oxidizing mechanism that allowed one of the world's largest iron deposits to form. The absence of cerium (Ce) anomalies reveals that conditions were pervasively anoxic during IF deposition, while unprecedented europium (Eu) anomalies imply that Fe was supplied by intense hydrothermal activity. A positive and homogeneous Fe isotopic signal in space and time in these IFs indicates a low degree of partial oxidation of Fe(II), which, combined with the presence of 13 C-depleted organic matter, points to a photoautotrophic metabolic driver. Collectively, our results argue in favor of reducing conditions during IF deposition and suggest anoxygenic photosynthesis as the most plausible mechanism responsible for Fe oxidation in the Carajás Basin.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric Siciliano Rego
- Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, Brazil
- Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, CNRS, Paris cedex 05, France
- Géosciences Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Université des Antilles, Montpellier, France
| | - Vincent Busigny
- Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, CNRS, Paris cedex 05, France
| | - Stefan V Lalonde
- Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, CNRS, Plouzané, France
| | - Pascal Philippot
- Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, CNRS, Paris cedex 05, France
- Géosciences Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Université des Antilles, Montpellier, France
- Departamento de Geofísica, Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas, Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Amaury Bouyon
- Géosciences Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, Université des Antilles, Montpellier, France
| | - Camille Rossignol
- Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université de Paris, CNRS, Paris cedex 05, France
- Departamento de Geofísica, Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas, Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marly Babinski
- Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Friedland G, Grüneberg B, Hupfer M. Geochemical signatures of lignite mining products in sediments downstream a fluvial-lacustrine system. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 760:143942. [PMID: 33348154 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
As a result of the open-cast lignite mining in the Lusatian region of north-eastern Germany, large amounts of iron, sulphate, trace metals, and aluminium are fed into the groundwater and small streams that discharge into the River Spree, which ultimately flows through urban Berlin. In this study, we examined whether the input of these mining products leads to longitudinal gradients in element compositions and mineral formations in the riverine sediments. The signatures of fluvial and interconnected lacustrine sediments along a 190-km flow section were evaluated via principal component analysis to define the impact range of the open-cast products. These products clearly showed a sediment impact range of at least ~90 km downstream of the mining area. In particular, nickel and cobalt readily co-precipitate with iron, while sedimentary sulphur initially increases and therefore shows a longer impact range than amorphous iron oxy-hydroxides. These findings further demonstrate that sulphur and iron have different transport mechanisms. Although sulphate concentrations in the river waters of Berlin are still high, sedimentary iron and sulphur contents at the city border are only slightly higher than at the reference point close to the source of River Spree. The strongly diminished but still present mining signature in urban Berlin is replaced by an urban signature characterised by high levels of zinc, chromium, lead, and copper.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Friedland
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Department of Chemical Analytics and Biogeochemistry, Müggelseedamm 301, D-12587 Berlin, Germany; Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Department of Freshwater Conservation, Seestraße 45, D-15526 Bad Saarow, Germany.
| | - Björn Grüneberg
- Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, Department of Freshwater Conservation, Seestraße 45, D-15526 Bad Saarow, Germany; Landeslabor Berlin-Brandenburg, Rudower Chaussee 39, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Hupfer
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Department of Chemical Analytics and Biogeochemistry, Müggelseedamm 301, D-12587 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Fortney NW, Beard BL, Hutchings JA, Shields MR, Bianchi TS, Boyd ES, Johnson CM, Roden EE. Geochemical and Stable Fe Isotopic Analysis of Dissimilatory Microbial Iron Reduction in Chocolate Pots Hot Spring, Yellowstone National Park. ASTROBIOLOGY 2021; 21:83-102. [PMID: 32580560 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2019.2058] [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: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Chocolate Pots hot spring (CP) is an Fe-rich, circumneutral-pH geothermal spring in Yellowstone National Park. Relic hydrothermal systems have been identified on Mars, and modern hydrothermal environments such as CP are useful for gaining insight into potential pathways for generation of biosignatures of ancient microbial life on Earth and Mars. Fe isotope fractionation is recognized as a signature of dissimilatory microbial iron oxide reduction (DIR) in both the rock record and modern sedimentary environments. Previous studies in CP have demonstrated the presence of DIR in vent pool deposits and show aqueous-/solid-phase Fe isotope variations along the hot spring flow path that may be linked to this process. In this study, we examined the geochemistry and stable Fe isotopic composition of spring water and sediment core samples collected from the vent pool and along the flow path, with the goal of evaluating whether Fe isotopes can serve as a signature of past or present DIR activity. Bulk sediment Fe redox speciation confirmed that DIR is active within the hot spring vent pool sediments (but not in more distal deposits), and the observed Fe isotope fractionation between Fe(II) and Fe(III) is consistent with previous studies of DIR-driven Fe isotope fractionation. However, modeling of sediment Fe isotope distributions indicates that DIR does not produce a unique Fe isotopic signature of DIR in the vent pool environment. Because of rapid chemical and isotopic communication between the vent pool fluid and sediment, sorption of Fe(II) to Fe(III) oxides would produce an isotopic signature similar to DIR despite DIR-driven generation of large quantities of isotopically light solid-associated Fe(II). The possibility exists, however, for preservation of specific DIR-derived Fe(II) minerals such as siderite (which is present in the vent pool deposits), whose isotopic composition could serve as a long-term signature of DIR in relic hot spring environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel W Fortney
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Brian L Beard
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jack A Hutchings
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Michael R Shields
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Thomas S Bianchi
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Eric S Boyd
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, NASA Astrobiology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Clark M Johnson
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Eric E Roden
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Camacho A, Walter XA, Picazo A, Zopfi J. Photoferrotrophy: Remains of an Ancient Photosynthesis in Modern Environments. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:323. [PMID: 28377745 PMCID: PMC5359306 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Photoferrotrophy, the process by which inorganic carbon is fixed into organic matter using light as an energy source and reduced iron [Fe(II)] as an electron donor, has been proposed as one of the oldest photoautotrophic metabolisms on Earth. Under the iron-rich (ferruginous) but sulfide poor conditions dominating the Archean ocean, this type of metabolism could have accounted for most of the primary production in the photic zone. Here we review the current knowledge of biogeochemical, microbial and phylogenetic aspects of photoferrotrophy, and evaluate the ecological significance of this process in ancient and modern environments. From the ferruginous conditions that prevailed during most of the Archean, the ancient ocean evolved toward euxinic (anoxic and sulfide rich) conditions and, finally, much after the advent of oxygenic photosynthesis, to a predominantly oxic environment. Under these new conditions photoferrotrophs lost importance as primary producers, and now photoferrotrophy remains as a vestige of a formerly relevant photosynthetic process. Apart from the geological record and other biogeochemical markers, modern environments resembling the redox conditions of these ancient oceans can offer insights into the past significance of photoferrotrophy and help to explain how this metabolism operated as an important source of organic carbon for the early biosphere. Iron-rich meromictic (permanently stratified) lakes can be considered as modern analogs of the ancient Archean ocean, as they present anoxic ferruginous water columns where light can still be available at the chemocline, thus offering suitable niches for photoferrotrophs. A few bacterial strains of purple bacteria as well as of green sulfur bacteria have been shown to possess photoferrotrophic capacities, and hence, could thrive in these modern Archean ocean analogs. Studies addressing the occurrence and the biogeochemical significance of photoferrotrophy in ferruginous environments have been conducted so far in lakes Matano, Pavin, La Cruz, and the Kabuno Bay of Lake Kivu. To date, only in the latter two lakes a biogeochemical role of photoferrotrophs has been confirmed. In this review we critically summarize the current knowledge on iron-driven photosynthesis, as a remains of ancient Earth biogeochemistry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Camacho
- Cavanilles Institute for Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of ValenciaBurjassot, Spain
| | - Xavier A. Walter
- Bristol BioEnergy Centre, Bristol Robotics Laboratory, University of the West of EnglandBristol, UK
| | - Antonio Picazo
- Cavanilles Institute for Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of ValenciaBurjassot, Spain
| | - Jakob Zopfi
- Aquatic and Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of BaselBasel, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Garnier J, Garnier JM, Vieira CL, Akerman A, Chmeleff J, Ruiz RI, Poitrasson F. Iron isotope fingerprints of redox and biogeochemical cycling in the soil-water-rice plant system of a paddy field. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 574:1622-1632. [PMID: 27697337 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.08.202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2016] [Revised: 08/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/30/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The iron isotope composition was used to investigate dissimilatory iron reduction (DIR) processes in an iron-rich waterlogged paddy soil, the iron uptake strategies of plants and its translocation in the different parts of the rice plant along its growth. Fe concentration and isotope composition (δ56Fe) in irrigation water, precipitates from irrigation water, soil, pore water solution at different depths under the surface water, iron plaque on rice roots, rice roots, stems, leaves and grains were measured. Over the 8.5-10cm of the vertical profiles investigated, the iron pore water concentration (0.01 to 24.3mg·l-1) and δ56Fe (-0.80 to -3.40‰) varied over a large range. The significant linear co-variation between Ln[Fe] and δ56Fe suggests an apparent Rayleigh-type behavior of the DIR processes. An average net fractionation factor between the pore water and the soil substrate of Δ56Fe≈-1.15‰ was obtained, taking the average of all the δ56Fe values weighted by the amount of Fe for each sample. These results provide a robust field study confirmation of the conceptual model of Crosby et al. (2005, 2007) for interpreting the iron isotope fractionation observed during DIR, established from a series of laboratories experiments. In addition, the strong enrichment of heavy Fe isotope measured in the root relative to the soil solution suggest that the iron uptake by roots is more likely supplied by iron from plaque and not from the plant-available iron in the pore water. Opposite to what was previously observed for plants following strategy II for iron uptake from soils, an iron isotope fractionation factor of -0.9‰ was found from the roots to the rice grains, pointing to isotope fractionation during rice plant growth. All these features highlight the insights iron isotope composition provides into the biogeochemical Fe cycling in the soil-water-rice plant systems studied in nature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J Garnier
- Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de Brasilia, IG/GMP-ICC Centro, 70919-970 Brasilia-DF, Brazil; Laboratoire Mixte International, LMI OCE « Observatoire des changements Environnementaux », Institut de Recherche pour le Développement/University of Brasilia, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - J-M Garnier
- Centre Européen de Recherche et d'Enseignement des Géosciences de l'Environnement (CEREGE), UMR CNRS 7730, AMU (Aix-Marseille Université), BP 80, 13545 Aix en Provence, France.
| | - C L Vieira
- Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de Brasilia, IG/GMP-ICC Centro, 70919-970 Brasilia-DF, Brazil; Laboratoire Mixte International, LMI OCE « Observatoire des changements Environnementaux », Institut de Recherche pour le Développement/University of Brasilia, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - A Akerman
- Laboratoire Geosciences Environnement Toulouse, UMR 5563 CNRS - UPS - IRD, 14, Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - J Chmeleff
- Laboratoire Geosciences Environnement Toulouse, UMR 5563 CNRS - UPS - IRD, 14, Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | - R I Ruiz
- Institute of Geosciences, University of São Paulo, rua do Lago, 562, São Paulo 05508-080, Brazil
| | - F Poitrasson
- Laboratoire Geosciences Environnement Toulouse, UMR 5563 CNRS - UPS - IRD, 14, Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Fortney NW, He S, Converse BJ, Beard BL, Johnson CM, Boyd ES, Roden EE. Microbial Fe(III) oxide reduction potential in Chocolate Pots hot spring, Yellowstone National Park. GEOBIOLOGY 2016; 14:255-275. [PMID: 26750514 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 11/10/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Chocolate Pots hot springs (CP) is a unique, circumneutral pH, iron-rich, geothermal feature in Yellowstone National Park. Prior research at CP has focused on photosynthetically driven Fe(II) oxidation as a model for mineralization of microbial mats and deposition of Archean banded iron formations. However, geochemical and stable Fe isotopic data have suggested that dissimilatory microbial iron reduction (DIR) may be active within CP deposits. In this study, the potential for microbial reduction of native CP Fe(III) oxides was investigated, using a combination of cultivation dependent and independent approaches, to assess the potential involvement of DIR in Fe redox cycling and associated stable Fe isotope fractionation in the CP hot springs. Endogenous microbial communities were able to reduce native CP Fe(III) oxides, as documented by most probable number enumerations and enrichment culture studies. Enrichment cultures demonstrated sustained DIR driven by oxidation of acetate, lactate, and H2 . Inhibitor studies and molecular analyses indicate that sulfate reduction did not contribute to observed rates of DIR in the enrichment cultures through abiotic reaction pathways. Enrichment cultures produced isotopically light Fe(II) during DIR relative to the bulk solid-phase Fe(III) oxides. Pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes from enrichment cultures showed dominant sequences closely affiliated with Geobacter metallireducens, a mesophilic Fe(III) oxide reducer. Shotgun metagenomic analysis of enrichment cultures confirmed the presence of a dominant G. metallireducens-like population and other less dominant populations from the phylum Ignavibacteriae, which appear to be capable of DIR. Gene (protein) searches revealed the presence of heat-shock proteins that may be involved in increased thermotolerance in the organisms present in the enrichments as well as porin-cytochrome complexes previously shown to be involved in extracellular electron transport. This analysis offers the first detailed insight into how DIR may impact the Fe geochemistry and isotope composition of a Fe-rich, circumneutral pH geothermal environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- N W Fortney
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - S He
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - B J Converse
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - B L Beard
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - C M Johnson
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - E S Boyd
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, NASA Astrobiology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - E E Roden
- Department of Geoscience, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Extracellular electron transfer to Fe(III) oxides by the hyperthermophilic archaeon Geoglobus ahangari via a direct contact mechanism. Appl Environ Microbiol 2013; 79:4694-700. [PMID: 23728807 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01566-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The microbial reduction of Fe(III) plays an important role in the geochemistry of hydrothermal systems, yet it is poorly understood at the mechanistic level. Here we show that the obligate Fe(III)-reducing archaeon Geoglobus ahangari uses a direct-contact mechanism for the reduction of Fe(III) oxides to magnetite at 85°C. Alleviating the need to directly contact the mineral with the addition of a chelator or the electron shuttle anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS) stimulated Fe(III) reduction. In contrast, entrapment of the oxides within alginate beads to prevent cell contact with the electron acceptor prevented Fe(III) reduction and cell growth unless AQDS was provided. Furthermore, filtered culture supernatant fluids had no effect on Fe(III) reduction, ruling out the secretion of an endogenous mediator too large to permeate the alginate beads. Consistent with a direct contact mechanism, electron micrographs showed cells in intimate association with the Fe(III) mineral particles, which once dissolved revealed abundant curled appendages. The cells also produced several heme-containing proteins. Some of them were detected among proteins sheared from the cell's outer surface and were required for the reduction of insoluble Fe(III) oxides but not for the reduction of the soluble electron acceptor Fe(III) citrate. The results thus support a mechanism in which the cells directly attach and transfer electrons to the Fe(III) oxides using redox-active proteins exposed on the cell surface. This strategy confers on G. ahangari a competitive advantage for accessing and reducing Fe(III) oxides under the extreme physical and chemical conditions of hot ecosystems.
Collapse
|
8
|
Percak-Dennett EM, Beard BL, Xu H, Konishi H, Johnson CM, Roden EE. Iron isotope fractionation during microbial dissimilatory iron oxide reduction in simulated Archaean seawater. GEOBIOLOGY 2011; 9:205-220. [PMID: 21504536 DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-4669.2011.00277.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The largest Fe isotope excursion yet measured in marine sedimentary rocks occurs in shales, carbonates, and banded iron formations of Neoarchaean and Paleoproterozoic age. The results of field and laboratory studies suggest a potential role for microbial dissimilatory iron reduction (DIR) in producing this excursion. However, most experimental studies of Fe isotope fractionation during DIR have been conducted in simple geochemical systems, using pure Fe(III) oxide substrates that are not direct analogues to phases likely to have been present in Precambrian marine environments. In this study, Fe isotope fractionation was investigated during microbial reduction of an amorphous Fe(III) oxide-silica coprecipitate in anoxic, high-silica, low-sulphate artificial Archaean seawater at 30 °C to determine if such conditions alter the extent of reduction or isotopic fractionations relative to those observed in simple systems. The Fe(III)-Si coprecipitate was highly reducible (c. 80% reduction) in the presence of excess acetate. The coprecipitate did not undergo phase conversion (e.g. to green rust, magnetite or siderite) during reduction. Iron isotope fractionations suggest that rapid and near-complete isotope exchange took place among all Fe(II) and Fe(III) components, in contrast to previous work on goethite and hematite, where exchange was limited to the outer few atom layers of the substrate. Large quantities of low-δ(56)Fe Fe(II) (aqueous and solid phase) were produced during reduction of the Fe(III)-Si coprecipitate. These findings shed new light on DIR as a mechanism for producing Fe isotope variations observed in Neoarchaean and Paleoproterozoic marine sedimentary rocks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E M Percak-Dennett
- Department of Geoscience and NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|