1
|
Perini L, Sipes K, Zervas A, Bellas C, Lutz S, Moniruzzaman M, Mourot R, Benning LG, Tranter M, Anesio AM. Giant viral signatures on the Greenland ice sheet. Microbiome 2024; 12:91. [PMID: 38760842 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-024-01796-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dark pigmented snow and glacier ice algae on glaciers and ice sheets contribute to accelerating melt. The biological controls on these algae, particularly the role of viruses, remain poorly understood. Giant viruses, classified under the nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDV) supergroup (phylum Nucleocytoviricota), are diverse and globally distributed. NCLDVs are known to infect eukaryotic cells in marine and freshwater environments, providing a biological control on the algal population in these ecosystems. However, there is very limited information on the diversity and ecosystem function of NCLDVs in terrestrial icy habitats. RESULTS In this study, we investigate for the first time giant viruses and their host connections on ice and snow habitats, such as cryoconite, dark ice, ice core, red and green snow, and genomic assemblies of five cultivated Chlorophyta snow algae. Giant virus marker genes were present in almost all samples; the highest abundances were recovered from red snow and the snow algae genomic assemblies, followed by green snow and dark ice. The variety of active algae and protists in these GrIS habitats containing NCLDV marker genes suggests that infection can occur on a range of eukaryotic hosts. Metagenomic data from red and green snow contained evidence of giant virus metagenome-assembled genomes from the orders Imitervirales, Asfuvirales, and Algavirales. CONCLUSION Our study highlights NCLDV family signatures in snow and ice samples from the Greenland ice sheet. Giant virus metagenome-assembled genomes (GVMAGs) were found in red snow samples, and related NCLDV marker genes were identified for the first time in snow algal culture genomic assemblies; implying a relationship between the NCLDVs and snow algae. Metatranscriptomic viral genes also aligned with metagenomic sequences, suggesting that NCLDVs are an active component of the microbial community and are potential "top-down" controls of the eukaryotic algal and protistan members. This study reveals the unprecedented presence of a diverse community of NCLDVs in a variety of glacial habitats dominated by algae.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Perini
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark.
| | - Katie Sipes
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark
| | - Athanasios Zervas
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark
| | | | - Stefanie Lutz
- Department of Agroecology and Environment, Plant-Soil Interactions, Agroscope, Zurich, Switzerland
- German Research Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, 14473, Germany
| | - Mohammad Moniruzzaman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
| | - Rey Mourot
- German Research Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, 14473, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 12249, Germany
| | - Liane G Benning
- German Research Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, 14473, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, 12249, Germany
| | - Martyn Tranter
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark
| | - Alexandre M Anesio
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, 4000, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Chen Z, Perez JPH, Smales GJ, Blukis R, Pauw BR, Stammeier JA, Radnik J, Smith AJ, Benning LG. Impact of organic phosphates on the structure and composition of short-range ordered iron nanophases. Nanoscale Adv 2024; 6:2656-2668. [PMID: 38752136 PMCID: PMC11093260 DOI: 10.1039/d3na01045g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Organic phosphates (OP) are important nutrient components for living cells in natural environments, where they readily interact with ubiquitous iron phases such as hydrous ferric oxide, ferrihydrite (FHY). FHY partakes in many key bio(geo)chemical reactions including iron-mediated carbon storage in soils, or iron-storage in living organisms. However, it is still unknown how OP affects the formation, structure and properties of FHY. Here, we document how β-glycerophosphate (GP), a model OP ligand, affects the structure and properties of GP-FHY nanoparticles synthesized by coprecipitation at variable nominal molar P/Fe ratios (0.01 to 0.5). All GP-FHY precipitates were characterized by a maximum solid P/Fe ratio of 0.22, irrespective of the nominal P/Fe ratio. With increasing nominal P/Fe ratio, the specific surface area of the GP-FHY precipitates decreased sharply from 290 to 3 m2 g-1, accompanied by the collapse of their pore structure. The Fe-P local bonding environment gradually transitioned from a bidentate binuclear geometry at low P/Fe ratios to monodentate mononuclear geometry at high P/Fe ratios. This transition was accompanied by a decrease in coordination number of edge-sharing Fe polyhedra, and the loss of the corner-sharing Fe polyhedra. We show that Fe(iii) polymerization is impeded by GP, and that the GP-FHY structure is highly dependent on the P/Fe ratio. We discuss the role that natural OP-bearing Fe(iii) nanophases have in biogeochemical reactions between Fe-P and C species in aquatic systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhengzheng Chen
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences Telegrafenberg 14473 Potsdam Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin Malteserstraße 74-100 12249 Berlin Germany
| | | | - Glen J Smales
- Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und-prüfung (BAM) Unter den Eichen 87 12205 Berlin Germany
| | - Roberts Blukis
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences Telegrafenberg 14473 Potsdam Germany
| | - Brian R Pauw
- Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und-prüfung (BAM) Unter den Eichen 87 12205 Berlin Germany
| | - Jessica A Stammeier
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences Telegrafenberg 14473 Potsdam Germany
| | - Jörg Radnik
- Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und-prüfung (BAM) Unter den Eichen 87 12205 Berlin Germany
| | - Andrew J Smith
- Diamond Light Source Harwell Science and Innovation Campus Didcot Oxfordshire OX11 0DE UK
| | - Liane G Benning
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences Telegrafenberg 14473 Potsdam Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin Malteserstraße 74-100 12249 Berlin Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Delina REG, Perez JPH, Stammeier JA, Bazarkina EF, Benning LG. Partitioning and Mobility of Chromium in Iron-Rich Laterites from an Optimized Sequential Extraction Procedure. Environ Sci Technol 2024; 58:6391-6401. [PMID: 38551030 PMCID: PMC11008241 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c10774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Chromium (Cr) leached from iron (Fe) (oxyhydr)oxide-rich tropical laterites can substantially impact downstream groundwater, ecosystems, and human health. However, its partitioning into mineral hosts, its binding, oxidation state, and potential release are poorly defined. This is in part due to the current lack of well-designed and validated Cr-specific sequential extraction procedures (SEPs) for laterites. To fill this gap, we have (i) first optimized a Cr SEP for Fe (oxyhydr)oxide-rich laterites using synthetic and natural Cr-bearing minerals and laterite references, (ii) used a complementary suite of techniques and critically evaluated existing non-laterite and non-Cr-optimized SEPs, compared to our optimized SEP, and (iii) confirmed the efficiency of our new SEP through analyses of laterites from the Philippines. Our results show that other SEPs inadequately leach Cr host phases and underestimate the Cr fractions. Our SEP recovered up to seven times higher Cr contents because it (a) more efficiently dissolves metal-substituted Fe phases, (b) quantitatively extracts adsorbed Cr, and (c) prevents overestimation of organic Cr in laterites. With this new SEP, we can estimate the mineral-specific Cr fractionation in Fe-rich tropical soils more quantitatively and thus improve our knowledge of the potential environmental impacts of Cr from lateritic areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Esther G. Delina
- GFZ
German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department
of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität
Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Jessica A. Stammeier
- GFZ
German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Elena F. Bazarkina
- The
Rossendorf Beamline at ESRF, The European
Synchrotron, CS 40220, 38043 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
- Institute
of Resource Ecology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Bautzner Landstraβe 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Liane G. Benning
- GFZ
German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department
of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität
Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Perez JPH, Tobler DJ, Benning LG. Synergistic inhibition of green rust crystallization by co-existing arsenic and silica. Environ Sci Process Impacts 2024; 26:632-643. [PMID: 38362760 DOI: 10.1039/d3em00458a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Arsenic and silica are known inhibitors of the crystallization of iron minerals from poorly ordered precursor phases. However, little is known about the effects of co-existing As and Si on the crystallization and long-term stability of mixed-valence Fe minerals such as green rust (GR). GR usually forms in anoxic, Fe2+-rich, near-neutral pH environments, where they influence the speciation and mobility of trace elements, nutrients and contaminants. In this work, the Fe2+-induced transformation of As- and/or Si-bearing ferrihydrite (FHY) was monitored at pH 8 ([As]initial = 100 μM, Si/As = 10) over 720 h. Our results showed that in the presence of As(III) + Si or As(V) + Si, GR sulfate (GRSO4) formation from FHY was up to four times slower compared to single species system containing only As(III), As(V) or Si. Co-existing As(III) + Si and As(V) + Si also inhibited GRSO4 transformation to magnetite, contrary to systems with only Si or As(V). Overall, our findings demonstrate the synergistic inhibitory effect of co-existing Si on the crystallization and solid-phase stability of As-bearing GRSO4, establishing an inhibitory effect ladder: As(III) + Si > As(V) + Si > As(III) > Si > As(V). This further highlights the importance of GR in potentially controlling the fate and mobility of As in ferruginous, Si-rich groundwater and sediments such as those in South and Southeast Asia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Dominique J Tobler
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Liane G Benning
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany.
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstrasse 74-100, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Benning LG, Wagner D, Larose C, Gunde-Cimerman N, Häggblom MM. Editorial: thematic issue on Polar and Alpine Microbiology. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2024; 100:fiae030. [PMID: 38518222 PMCID: PMC10959548 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiae030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Liane G Benning
- German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ, Telegrafenberg A71-359, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Dirk Wagner
- German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ, Telegrafenberg A71-359, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Catherine Larose
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Institute of Geosciences of the Environment IGE, CS 40700, 38 058 Grenoble, France
| | - Nina Gunde-Cimerman
- University of Ljubljana, Department of Biology, Biotechnical faculty, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Max M Häggblom
- Rutgers University, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, 76 Lipman Drive, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8525, United States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Doting EL, Jensen MB, Peter EK, Ellegaard-Jensen L, Tranter M, Benning LG, Hansen M, Anesio AM. The exometabolome of microbial communities inhabiting bare ice surfaces on the southern Greenland Ice Sheet. Environ Microbiol 2024; 26:e16574. [PMID: 38263628 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Microbial blooms colonize the Greenland Ice Sheet bare ice surface during the ablation season and significantly reduce its albedo. On the ice surface, microbes are exposed to high levels of irradiance, freeze-thaw cycles, and low nutrient concentrations. It is well known that microorganisms secrete metabolites to maintain homeostasis, communicate with other microorganisms, and defend themselves. Yet, the exometabolome of supraglacial microbial blooms, dominated by the pigmented glacier ice algae Ancylonema alaskanum and Ancylonema nordenskiöldii, remains thus far unstudied. Here, we use a high-resolution mass spectrometry-based untargeted metabolomics workflow to identify metabolites in the exometabolome of microbial blooms on the surface of the southern tip of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Samples were collected every 6 h across two diurnal cycles at 5 replicate sampling sites with high similarity in community composition, in terms of orders and phyla present. Time of sampling explained 46% (permutational multivariate analysis of variance [PERMANOVA], pseudo-F = 3.7771, p = 0.001) and 27% (PERMANOVA, pseudo-F = 1.8705, p = 0.001) of variance in the exometabolome across the two diurnal cycles. Annotated metabolites included riboflavin, lumichrome, tryptophan, and azelaic acid, all of which have demonstrated roles in microbe-microbe interactions in other ecosystems and should be tested for potential roles in the development of microbial blooms on bare ice surfaces.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva L Doting
- Department of Environmental Science, iClimate, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Marie B Jensen
- Department of Environmental Science, iClimate, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Elisa K Peter
- Interface Geochemistry Section, German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lea Ellegaard-Jensen
- Department of Environmental Science, iClimate, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Martyn Tranter
- Department of Environmental Science, iClimate, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Liane G Benning
- Interface Geochemistry Section, German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Hansen
- Department of Environmental Science, iClimate, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Alexandre M Anesio
- Department of Environmental Science, iClimate, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Jaarsma AH, Zervas A, Sipes K, Campuzano Jiménez F, Smith AC, Svendsen LV, Thøgersen MS, Stougaard P, Benning LG, Tranter M, Anesio AM. The undiscovered biosynthetic potential of the Greenland Ice Sheet microbiome. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1285791. [PMID: 38149278 PMCID: PMC10749974 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1285791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The Greenland Ice Sheet is a biome which is mainly microbially driven. Several different niches can be found within the glacial biome for those microbes able to withstand the harsh conditions, e.g., low temperatures, low nutrient conditions, high UV radiation in summer, and contrasting long and dark winters. Eukaryotic algae can form blooms during the summer on the ice surface, interacting with communities of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Cryoconite holes and snow are also habitats with their own microbial community. Nevertheless, the microbiome of supraglacial habitats remains poorly studied, leading to a lack of representative genomes from these environments. Under-investigated extremophiles, like those living on the Greenland Ice Sheet, may provide an untapped reservoir of chemical diversity that is yet to be discovered. In this study, an inventory of the biosynthetic potential of these organisms is made, through cataloging the presence of biosynthetic gene clusters in their genomes. There were 133 high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) and 28 whole genomes of bacteria obtained from samples of the ice sheet surface, cryoconite, biofilm, and snow using culturing-dependent and -independent approaches. AntiSMASH and BiG-SCAPE were used to mine these genomes and subsequently analyze the resulting predicted gene clusters. Extensive sets of predicted Biosynthetic Gene Clusters (BGCs) were collected from the genome collection, with limited overlap between isolates and MAGs. Additionally, little overlap was found in the biosynthetic potential among different environments, suggesting specialization of organisms in specific habitats. The median number of BGCs per genome was significantly higher for the isolates compared to the MAGs. The most talented producers were found among Proteobacteria. We found evidence for the capacity of these microbes to produce antimicrobials, carotenoid pigments, siderophores, and osmoprotectants, indicating potential survival mechanisms to cope with extreme conditions. The majority of identified BGCs, including those in the most prevalent gene cluster families, have unknown functions, presenting a substantial potential for bioprospecting. This study underscores the diverse biosynthetic potential in Greenland Ice Sheet genomes, revealing insights into survival strategies and highlighting the need for further exploration and characterization of these untapped resources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ate H. Jaarsma
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Athanasios Zervas
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Katie Sipes
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | | | | | | | - Peter Stougaard
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Liane G. Benning
- German Research Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martyn Tranter
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Remias D, Procházková L, Nedbalová L, Benning LG, Lutz S. Novel insights in cryptic diversity of snow and glacier ice algae communities combining 18S rRNA gene and ITS2 amplicon sequencing. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2023; 99:fiad134. [PMID: 37880981 PMCID: PMC10659120 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiad134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Melting snow and glacier surfaces host microalgal blooms in polar and mountainous regions. The aim of this study was to determine the dominant taxa at the species level in the European Arctic and the Alps. A standardized protocol for amplicon metabarcoding using the 18S rRNA gene and ITS2 markers was developed. This is important because previous biodiversity studies have been hampered by the dominance of closely related algal taxa in snow and ice. Due to the limited resolution of partial 18S rRNA Illumina sequences, the hypervariable ITS2 region was used to further discriminate between the genotypes. Our results show that red snow was caused by the cosmopolitan Sanguina nivaloides (Chlamydomonadales, Chlorophyta) and two as of yet undescribed Sanguina species. Arctic orange snow was dominated by S. aurantia, which was not found in the Alps. On glaciers, at least three Ancylonema species (Zygnematales, Streptophyta) dominated. Golden-brown blooms consisted of Hydrurus spp. (Hydrurales, Stramenophiles) and these were mainly an Arctic phenomenon. For chrysophytes, only the 18S rRNA gene but not ITS2 sequences were amplified, showcasing how delicate the selection of eukaryotic 'universal' primers for community studies is and that primer specificity will affect diversity results dramatically. We propose our approach as a 'best practice'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Remias
- Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Department of Ecology and Biodiversity, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Stelzhamerstr. 23, 4600 Wels, Austria
| | - Lenka Procházková
- Charles University, Faculty of Science, Department of Ecology, Viničná 7, 128 44 Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Linda Nedbalová
- Charles University, Faculty of Science, Department of Ecology, Viničná 7, 128 44 Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Liane G Benning
- German Research Centre for Geoscience, GFZ, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefanie Lutz
- German Research Centre for Geoscience, GFZ, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Jaarsma AH, Sipes K, Zervas A, Jiménez FC, Ellegaard-Jensen L, Thøgersen MS, Stougaard P, Benning LG, Tranter M, Anesio AM. Exploring microbial diversity in Greenland Ice Sheet supraglacial habitats through culturing-dependent and -independent approaches. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2023; 99:fiad119. [PMID: 37791411 PMCID: PMC10580271 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiad119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The microbiome of Greenland Ice Sheet supraglacial habitats is still underinvestigated, and as a result there is a lack of representative genomes from these environments. In this study, we investigated the supraglacial microbiome through a combination of culturing-dependent and -independent approaches. We explored ice, cryoconite, biofilm, and snow biodiversity to answer: (1) how microbial diversity differs between supraglacial habitats, (2) if obtained bacterial genomes reflect dominant community members, and (3) how culturing versus high throughput sequencing changes our observations of microbial diversity in supraglacial habitats. Genomes acquired through metagenomic sequencing (133 high-quality MAGs) and whole genome sequencing (73 bacterial isolates) were compared to the metagenome assemblies to investigate abundance within the total environmental DNA. Isolates obtained in this study were not dominant taxa in the habitat they were sampled from, in contrast to the obtained MAGs. We demonstrate here the advantages of using metagenome SSU rRNA genes to reflect whole-community diversity. Additionally, we demonstrate a proof-of-concept of the application of in situ culturing in a supraglacial setting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ate H Jaarsma
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Katie Sipes
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Athanasios Zervas
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - Lea Ellegaard-Jensen
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Mariane S Thøgersen
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Peter Stougaard
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Liane G Benning
- German Research Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstr. 74-100, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| | - Martyn Tranter
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Alexandre M Anesio
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Couasnon T, Fritsch B, Jank MPM, Blukis R, Hutzler A, Benning LG. Goethite Mineral Dissolution to Probe the Chemistry of Radiolytic Water in Liquid-Phase Transmission Electron Microscopy. Adv Sci (Weinh) 2023; 10:e2301904. [PMID: 37439408 PMCID: PMC10477898 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202301904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Liquid-Phase Transmission Electron Microscopy (LP-TEM) enables in situ observations of the dynamic behavior of materials in liquids at high spatial and temporal resolution. During LP-TEM, incident electrons decompose water molecules into highly reactive species. Consequently, the chemistry of the irradiated aqueous solution is strongly altered, impacting the reactions to be observed. However, the short lifetime of these reactive species prevent their direct study. Here, the morphological changes of goethite during its dissolution are used as a marker system to evaluate the influence of radiation on the changes in solution chemistry. At low electron flux density, the morphological changes are equivalent to those observed under bulk acidic conditions, but the rate of dissolution is higher. On the contrary, at higher electron fluxes, the morphological evolution does not correspond to a unique acidic dissolution process. Combined with kinetic simulations of the steady state concentrations of generated reactive species in the aqueous medium, the results provide a unique insight into the redox and acidity interplay during radiation induced chemical changes in LP-TEM. The results not only reveal beam-induced radiation chemistry via a nanoparticle indicator, but also open up new perspectives in the study of the dissolution process in industrial or natural settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thaïs Couasnon
- GFZ German Research Center for GeosciencesTelegrafenberg14473PotsdamGermany
| | - Birk Fritsch
- Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Communication EngineeringElectron DevicesFriedrich‐Alexander‐Universität Erlangen‐Nürnberg91058ErlangenGermany
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringInstitute of Micro‐ and Nanostructure Research (IMN) and Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM)Friedrich‐Alexander‐Universität Erlangen‐Nürnberg91058ErlangenGermany
- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbHHelmholtz Institute Erlangen‐Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (IEK‐11)91058ErlangenGermany
| | - Michael P. M. Jank
- Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology IISBSchottkystr. 1091058ErlangenGermany
| | - Roberts Blukis
- GFZ German Research Center for GeosciencesTelegrafenberg14473PotsdamGermany
- Leibniz‐Institut für KristallzüchtungMax‐Born Str. 212489BerlinGermany
| | - Andreas Hutzler
- Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Communication EngineeringElectron DevicesFriedrich‐Alexander‐Universität Erlangen‐Nürnberg91058ErlangenGermany
- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbHHelmholtz Institute Erlangen‐Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (IEK‐11)91058ErlangenGermany
| | - Liane G. Benning
- GFZ German Research Center for GeosciencesTelegrafenberg14473PotsdamGermany
- Department of Earth SciencesFreie Universität Berlin12249BerlinGermany
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Paskin A, Couasnon T, Perez JPH, Lobanov SS, Blukis R, Reinsch S, Benning LG. Nucleation and Crystallization of Ferrous Phosphate Hydrate via an Amorphous Intermediate. J Am Chem Soc 2023. [PMID: 37409504 PMCID: PMC10360157 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c01494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
The fundamental processes of nucleation and crystallization are widely observed in systems relevant to material synthesis and biomineralization; yet most often, their mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we unravel the discrete stages of nucleation and crystallization of Fe3(PO4)2·8H2O (vivianite). We experimentally monitored the formation and transformation from ions to solid products by employing correlated, time-resolved in situ and ex situ approaches. We show that vivianite crystallization occurs in distinct stages via a transient amorphous precursor phase. The metastable amorphous ferrous phosphate (AFEP) intermediate could be isolated and stabilized. We resolved the differences in bonding environments, structure, and symmetric changes of the Fe site during the transformation of AFEP to crystalline vivianite through synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Fe K-edge. This intermediate AFEP phase has a lower water content and less distorted local symmetry, compared to the crystalline end product vivianite. Our combined results indicate that a nonclassical, hydration-induced nucleation and transformation driven by the incorporation and rearrangement of water molecules and ions (Fe2+ and PO43-) within the AFEP is the dominating mechanism of vivianite formation at moderately high to low vivianite supersaturations (saturation index ≤ 10.19). We offer fundamental insights into the aqueous, amorphous-to-crystalline transformations in the Fe2+-PO4 system and highlight the different attributes of the AFEP, compared to its crystalline counterpart.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alice Paskin
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstr. 74-100, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| | - Thaïs Couasnon
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | | | - Sergey S Lobanov
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Roberts Blukis
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Stefan Reinsch
- Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Richard-Willstätter-Straße 11, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Liane G Benning
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstr. 74-100, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Fritsch B, Körner A, Couasnon T, Blukis R, Taherkhani M, Benning LG, Jank MPM, Spiecker E, Hutzler A. Tailoring the Acidity of Liquid Media with Ionizing Radiation: Rethinking the Acid-Base Correlation beyond pH. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:4644-4651. [PMID: 37167107 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c00593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Advanced in situ techniques based on electrons and X-rays are increasingly used to gain insights into fundamental processes in liquids. However, probing liquid samples with ionizing radiation changes the solution chemistry under observation. In this work, we show that a radiation-induced decrease in pH does not necessarily correlate to an increase in acidity of aqueous solutions. Thus, pH does not capture the acidity under irradiation. Using kinetic modeling of radiation chemistry, we introduce alternative measures of acidity (radiolytic acidity π* and radiolytic ion product KW*), that account for radiation-induced alterations of both H+ and OH- concentration. Moreover, we demonstrate that adding pH-neutral solutes such as LiCl, LiBr, or LiNO3 can trigger a significant change in π*. This provides a huge parameter space to tailor the acidity for in situ experiments involving ionizing radiation, as present in synchrotron facilities or during liquid-phase electron microscopy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Birk Fritsch
- Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (IEK-11), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Cauerstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Communication Engineering, Electron Devices (LEB), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstraße 6, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN) and Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstraße 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andreas Körner
- Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (IEK-11), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Cauerstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Thaïs Couasnon
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ), Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Roberts Blukis
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ), Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Mehran Taherkhani
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Communication Engineering, Electron Devices (LEB), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstraße 6, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Liane G Benning
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ), Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Free University of Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael P M Jank
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Communication Engineering, Electron Devices (LEB), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstraße 6, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology IISB, Schottkystraße 10, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Erdmann Spiecker
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN) and Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstraße 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andreas Hutzler
- Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (IEK-11), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Cauerstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Klarenberg IJ, Keuschnig C, Salazar A, Benning LG, Vilhelmsson O. Moss and underlying soil bacterial community structures are linked to moss functional traits. Ecosphere 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ingeborg J. Klarenberg
- Natural Resource Sciences University of Akureyri Akureyri Iceland
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Iceland Reykjavík Iceland
- Department of Ecological Science Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Amsterdam Netherlands
| | - Christoph Keuschnig
- Environmental Microbial Genomics Laboratoire Ampère, CNRS, École Centrale de Lyon Écully France
- German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) Interface Geochemistry Potsdam Germany
| | - Alejandro Salazar
- Faculty of Environmental and Forest Sciences Agricultural University of Iceland Reykjavík Iceland
| | - Liane G. Benning
- German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) Interface Geochemistry Potsdam Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences Free University of Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Oddur Vilhelmsson
- Natural Resource Sciences University of Akureyri Akureyri Iceland
- BioMedical Center University of Iceland Reykjavík Iceland
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Bradley JA, Trivedi CB, Winkel M, Mourot R, Lutz S, Larose C, Keuschnig C, Doting E, Halbach L, Zervas A, Anesio AM, Benning LG. Active and dormant microorganisms on glacier surfaces. Geobiology 2023; 21:244-261. [PMID: 36450703 PMCID: PMC10099831 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Glacier and ice sheet surfaces host diverse communities of microorganisms whose activity (or inactivity) influences biogeochemical cycles and ice melting. Supraglacial microbes endure various environmental extremes including resource scarcity, frequent temperature fluctuations above and below the freezing point of water, and high UV irradiance during summer followed by months of total darkness during winter. One strategy that enables microbial life to persist through environmental extremes is dormancy, which despite being prevalent among microbial communities in natural settings, has not been directly measured and quantified in glacier surface ecosystems. Here, we use a combination of metabarcoding and metatranscriptomic analyses, as well as cell-specific activity (BONCAT) incubations to assess the diversity and activity of microbial communities from glacial surfaces in Iceland and Greenland. We also present a new ecological model for glacier microorganisms and simulate physiological state-changes in the glacial microbial community under idealized (i) freezing, (ii) thawing, and (iii) freeze-thaw conditions. We show that a high proportion (>50%) of bacterial cells are translationally active in-situ on snow and ice surfaces, with Actinomycetota, Pseudomonadota, and Planctomycetota dominating the total and active community compositions, and that glacier microorganisms, even when frozen, could resume translational activity within 24 h after thawing. Our data suggest that glacial microorganisms respond rapidly to dynamic and changing conditions typical of their natural environment. We deduce that the biology and biogeochemistry of glacier surfaces are shaped by processes occurring over short (i.e., daily) timescales, and thus are susceptible to change following the expected alterations to the melt-regime of glaciers driven by climate change. A better understanding of the activity of microorganisms on glacier surfaces is critical in addressing the growing concern of climate change in Polar regions, as well as for their use as analogues to life in potentially habitable icy worlds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James A. Bradley
- Queen Mary University of LondonLondonUK
- GFZ German Research Centre for GeosciencesBerlinGermany
| | | | - Matthias Winkel
- GFZ German Research Centre for GeosciencesBerlinGermany
- Bundesanstalt für Risikobewertung (BfR)BerlinGermany
| | - Rey Mourot
- GFZ German Research Centre for GeosciencesBerlinGermany
- Freie University BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Stefanie Lutz
- GFZ German Research Centre for GeosciencesBerlinGermany
| | - Catherine Larose
- Environmental Microbial GenomicsUniversité de LyonEcully CedexFrance
| | | | - Eva Doting
- Environmental ScienceAarhus UniversityRoskildeDenmark
| | - Laura Halbach
- Environmental ScienceAarhus UniversityRoskildeDenmark
| | | | | | - Liane G. Benning
- GFZ German Research Centre for GeosciencesBerlinGermany
- Freie University BerlinBerlinGermany
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Davis CL, Venturelli RA, Michaud AB, Hawkings JR, Achberger AM, Vick-Majors TJ, Rosenheim BE, Dore JE, Steigmeyer A, Skidmore ML, Barker JD, Benning LG, Siegfried MR, Priscu JC, Christner BC. Biogeochemical and historical drivers of microbial community composition and structure in sediments from Mercer Subglacial Lake, West Antarctica. ISME Commun 2023; 3:8. [PMID: 36717625 PMCID: PMC9886901 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-023-00216-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Ice streams that flow into Ross Ice Shelf are underlain by water-saturated sediments, a dynamic hydrological system, and subglacial lakes that intermittently discharge water downstream across grounding zones of West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). A 2.06 m composite sediment profile was recently recovered from Mercer Subglacial Lake, a 15 m deep water cavity beneath a 1087 m thick portion of the Mercer Ice Stream. We examined microbial abundances, used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to assess community structures, and characterized extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) associated with distinct lithologic units in the sediments. Bacterial and archaeal communities in the surficial sediments are more abundant and diverse, with significantly different compositions from those found deeper in the sediment column. The most abundant taxa are related to chemolithoautotrophs capable of oxidizing reduced nitrogen, sulfur, and iron compounds with oxygen, nitrate, or iron. Concentrations of dissolved methane and total organic carbon together with water content in the sediments are the strongest predictors of taxon and community composition. δ¹³C values for EPS (-25 to -30‰) are consistent with the primary source of carbon for biosynthesis originating from legacy marine organic matter. Comparison of communities to those in lake sediments under an adjacent ice stream (Whillans Subglacial Lake) and near its grounding zone provide seminal evidence for a subglacial metacommunity that is biogeochemically and evolutionarily linked through ice sheet dynamics and the transport of microbes, water, and sediments beneath WAIS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christina L Davis
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Ryan A Venturelli
- Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA
| | - Alexander B Michaud
- Center for Geomicrobiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, DK, Denmark
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, USA
| | - Jon R Hawkings
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Amanda M Achberger
- Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Trista J Vick-Majors
- Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA
| | - Brad E Rosenheim
- College of Marine Sciences, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
| | - John E Dore
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - August Steigmeyer
- Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Mark L Skidmore
- Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Joel D Barker
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Liane G Benning
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthew R Siegfried
- Hydrologic Science and Engineering Program, Department of Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA
| | | | - Brent C Christner
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Blukis R, Schindler M, Couasnon T, Benning LG. Mechanism and Control of Saponite Synthesis from a Self-Assembling Nanocrystalline Precursor. Langmuir 2022; 38:7678-7688. [PMID: 35708331 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Saponite is a clay mineral of the smectite group that finds applications in the chemical industry as a catalyst or catalyst precursor as well as in nanocomposites used for structural or catalytic applications. Saponite of controlled composition, crystallinity, particle size, and morphology would be highly beneficial to industry; however, such materials are not found in a sufficiently pure form in nature. Synthetic methods to produce saponite with specific properties are currently lacking as the understanding of the mechanisms controlling its formation, crystalline properties and particle morphology, is limited. Understanding the saponite formation mechanism is crucial for the development of a highly tuned and controlled synthesis leading to materials with specific properties. Here, we report a new chemical reaction mechanism explaining the nucleation and kinetics of saponite growth at different pHs, at 95-100 °C, and under the influence of pH-modifying additives explored via a combination of X-ray scattering methods and infrared spectroscopy. Our results show that the main factor affecting the nucleation and growth kinetics of saponite is the pH, which has a particularly significant impact on the rate of initial nucleation. Non-uniform reactivity of the aluminosilicate gel also significantly affects saponite growth kinetics and causes a change in the rate-determining step as seen in graphical abstract. The most crystalline saponite is obtained when the nucleation is suppressed by a low initial pH (<7), but the reaction is performed at a higher pH of about 9. The stacking of the saponite sheets can be further improved by a separate postsynthesis treatment with an alkali (NaOH) solution. A simple, ambient pressure method for synthesizing a highly crystalline saponite is proposed that could be easily upscaled for industrial purposes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roberts Blukis
- German Research Center for Geosciences, GFZ, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam 14473, Germany
| | - Maria Schindler
- German Research Center for Geosciences, GFZ, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam 14473, Germany
| | - Thaïs Couasnon
- German Research Center for Geosciences, GFZ, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam 14473, Germany
| | - Liane G Benning
- German Research Center for Geosciences, GFZ, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam 14473, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Trivedi CB, Keuschnig C, Larose C, Rissi DV, Mourot R, Bradley JA, Winkel M, Benning LG. DNA/RNA Preservation in Glacial Snow and Ice Samples. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:894893. [PMID: 35677909 PMCID: PMC9168539 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.894893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The preservation of nucleic acids for high-throughput sequencing is an ongoing challenge for field scientists. In particular, samples that are low biomass, or that have to be collected and preserved in logistically challenging environments (such as remote sites or during long sampling campaigns) can pose exceptional difficulties. With this work, we compare and assess the effectiveness of three preservation methods for DNA and RNA extracted from microbial communities of glacial snow and ice samples. Snow and ice samples were melted and filtered upon collection in Iceland, and filters were preserved using: (i) liquid nitrogen flash freezing, (ii) storage in RNAlater, or (iii) storage in Zymo DNA/RNA Shield. Comparative statistics covering nucleic acid recovery, sequencing library preparation, genome assembly, and taxonomic diversity were used to determine best practices for the preservation of DNA and RNA samples from these environments. Our results reveal that microbial community composition based on DNA was comparable at the class level across preservation types. Based on extracted RNA, the taxonomic composition of the active community was primarily driven by the filtered sample volume (i.e., biomass content). In low biomass samples (where <200 ml of sample volume was filtered) the taxonomic and functional signatures trend toward the composition of the control samples, while in samples where a larger volume (more biomass) was filtered our data showed comparable results independent of preservation type. Based on all comparisons our data suggests that flash freezing of filters containing low biomass is the preferred method for preserving DNA and RNA (notwithstanding the difficulties of accessing liquid nitrogen in remote glacial field sites). Generally, RNAlater and Zymo DNA/RNA Shield solutions work comparably well, especially for DNA from high biomass samples, but Zymo DNA/RNA Shield is favored due to its higher yield of preserved RNA. Biomass quantity from snow and ice samples appears to be the most important factor in regards to the collection and preservation of samples from glacial environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B Trivedi
- Interface Geochemistry, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
| | | | - Catherine Larose
- Environmental Microbial Genomics, Université de Lyon, Ecully Cedex, France
| | | | - Rey Mourot
- Interface Geochemistry, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany.,Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - James A Bradley
- Interface Geochemistry, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany.,School of Geography, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthias Winkel
- Interface Geochemistry, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Liane G Benning
- Interface Geochemistry, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany.,Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Doting EL, Davie-Martin CL, Johansen A, Benning LG, Tranter M, Rinnan R, Anesio AM. Greenland Ice Sheet Surfaces Colonized by Microbial Communities Emit Volatile Organic Compounds. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:886293. [PMID: 35747370 PMCID: PMC9211068 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.886293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted by organisms for a range of physiological and ecological reasons. They play an important role in biosphere–atmosphere interactions and contribute to the formation of atmospheric secondary aerosols. The Greenland ice sheet is home to a variety of microbial communities, including highly abundant glacier ice algae, yet nothing is known about the VOCs emitted by glacial communities. For the first time, we present VOC emissions from supraglacial habitats colonized by active microbial communities on the southern Greenland ice sheet during July 2020. Emissions of C5–C30 compounds from bare ice, cryoconite holes, and red snow were collected using a push–pull chamber active sampling system. A total of 92 compounds were detected, yielding mean total VOC emission rates of 3.97 ± 0.70 μg m–2 h–1 from bare ice surfaces (n = 31), 1.63 ± 0.13 μg m–2 h–1 from cryoconite holes (n = 4), and 0.92 ± 0.08 μg m–2 h–1 from red snow (n = 2). No correlations were found between VOC emissions and ice surface algal counts, but a weak positive correlation (r = 0.43, p = 0.015, n = 31) between VOC emission rates from bare ice surfaces and incoming shortwave radiation was found. We propose that this may be due to the stress that high solar irradiance causes in bare ice microbial communities. Acetophenone, benzaldehyde, and phenylmaleic anhydride, all of which have reported antifungal activity, accounted for 51.1 ± 11.7% of emissions from bare ice surfaces, indicating a potential defense strategy against fungal infections. Greenland ice sheet microbial habitats are, hence, potential sources of VOCs that may play a role in supraglacial microbial interactions, as well as local atmospheric chemistry, and merit future research efforts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eva L. Doting
- Department of Environmental Science, iClimate, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
- *Correspondence: Eva L. Doting,
| | - Cleo L. Davie-Martin
- Terrestrial Ecology Section, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anders Johansen
- Department of Environmental Science, iClimate, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Liane G. Benning
- Interface Geochemistry, German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martyn Tranter
- Department of Environmental Science, iClimate, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Riikka Rinnan
- Terrestrial Ecology Section, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alexandre M. Anesio
- Department of Environmental Science, iClimate, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
- Alexandre M. Anesio,
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Mangayayam MC, Perez JPH, Alonso-de-Linaje V, Dideriksen K, Benning LG, Tobler DJ. Sulfidation extent of nanoscale zerovalent iron controls selectivity and reactivity with mixed chlorinated hydrocarbons in natural groundwater. J Hazard Mater 2022; 431:128534. [PMID: 35259697 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Sulfidated nanoscale zerovalent iron (S-nZVI) exhibits low anoxic oxidation and high reactivity towards many chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs). However, nothing is known about S-nZVI reactivity once exposed to complex CHC mixtures, a common feature of CHC plumes in the environment. Here, three S-nZVI materials with varying iron sulfide (mackinawite, FeSm) shell thickness and crystallinity were exposed to groundwater containing a complex mixture of chlorinated ethenes, ethanes, and methanes. CHC removal trends yielded pseudo-first order rate constants (kobs) that decreased in the order: trichloroethene > trans-dicloroethene > 1,1-dichlorethene > trichloromethane > tetrachloroethene > cis-dichloroethene > 1,1,2-trichloroethane, for all S-nZVI materials. These kobs trends showed no correlation with CHC reduction potentials based on their lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energies (ELUMO) but absolute values were affected by the FeSm shell thickness and crystallinity. In comparison, nZVI reacted with the same CHCs groundwater, yielded kobs that linearly correlated with CHC ELUMO values (R2 = 0.94) and that were lower than S-nZVI kobs. The CHC selectivity induced by sulfidation treatment is explained by FeSm surface sites having specific binding affinities towards some CHCs, while others require access to the metallic iron core. These new insights help advance S-nZVI synthesis strategies to fit specific CHC treatment scenarios.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco C Mangayayam
- Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 5, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jeffrey Paulo H Perez
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| | - Virginia Alonso-de-Linaje
- AECOM Environment Madrid, Spain; GIR-QUESCAT, Departamento de Quimica Inorgánica, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Knud Dideriksen
- Geological Survey of Denmark & Greenland (GEUS), Øster Voldgade 10, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Liane G Benning
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dominique J Tobler
- Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 5, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Winkel M, Trivedi CB, Mourot R, Bradley JA, Vieth-Hillebrand A, Benning LG. Seasonality of Glacial Snow and Ice Microbial Communities. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:876848. [PMID: 35651494 PMCID: PMC9149292 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.876848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Blooms of microalgae on glaciers and ice sheets are amplifying surface ice melting rates, which are already affected by climate change. Most studies on glacial microorganisms (including snow and glacier ice algae) have so far focused on the spring and summer melt season, leading to a temporal bias, and a knowledge gap in our understanding of the variations in microbial diversity, productivity, and physiology on glacier surfaces year-round. Here, we investigated the microbial communities from Icelandic glacier surface snow and bare ice habitats, with sampling spanning two consecutive years and carried out in both winter and two summer seasons. We evaluated the seasonal differences in microbial community composition using Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and ITS marker genes and correlating them with geochemical signals in the snow and ice. During summer, Chloromonas, Chlainomonas, Raphidonema, and Hydrurus dominated surface snow algal communities, while Ancylonema and Mesotaenium dominated the surface bare ice habitats. In winter, algae could not be detected, and the community composition was dominated by bacteria and fungi. The dominant bacterial taxa found in both winter and summer samples were Bacteriodetes, Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria. The winter bacterial communities showed high similarities to airborne and fresh snow bacteria reported in other studies. This points toward the importance of dry and wet deposition as a wintertime source of microorganisms to the glacier surface. Winter samples were also richer in nutrients than summer samples, except for dissolved organic carbon-which was highest in summer snow and ice samples with blooming microalgae, suggesting that nutrients are accumulated during winter but primarily used by the microbial communities in the summer. Overall, our study shows that glacial snow and ice microbial communities are highly variable on a seasonal basis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Winkel
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Christopher B Trivedi
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Rey Mourot
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
| | - James A Bradley
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany.,School of Geography, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Vieth-Hillebrand
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Liane G Benning
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany.,Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Steele A, Benning LG, Wirth R, Schreiber A, Araki T, McCubbin FM, Fries MD, Nittler LR, Wang J, Hallis LJ, Conrad PG, Conley C, Vitale S, O'Brien AC, Riggi V, Rogers K. Organic synthesis associated with serpentinization and carbonation on early Mars. Science 2022; 375:172-177. [PMID: 35025630 DOI: 10.1126/science.abg7905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Water-rock interactions are relevant to planetary habitability, influencing mineralogical diversity and the production of organic molecules. We examine carbonates and silicates in the martian meteorite Allan Hills 84001 (ALH 84001), using colocated nanoscale analyses, to characterize the nature of water-rock reactions on early Mars. We find complex refractory organic material associated with mineral assemblages that formed by mineral carbonation and serpentinization reactions. The organic molecules are colocated with nanophase magnetite; both formed in situ during water-rock interactions on Mars. Two potentially distinct mechanisms of abiotic organic synthesis operated on early Mars during the late Noachian period (3.9 to 4.1 billion years ago).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Steele
- Carnegie Institution for Science, Earth and Planets Laboratory, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - L G Benning
- Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany.,Department of Earth Sciences, Free University of Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| | - R Wirth
- Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - A Schreiber
- Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - T Araki
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, UK
| | - F M McCubbin
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - M D Fries
- NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - L R Nittler
- Carnegie Institution for Science, Earth and Planets Laboratory, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - J Wang
- Carnegie Institution for Science, Earth and Planets Laboratory, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - L J Hallis
- School of Geographical and Earth Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - P G Conrad
- Carnegie Institution for Science, Earth and Planets Laboratory, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - C Conley
- NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA 94035, USA
| | - S Vitale
- Carnegie Institution for Science, Earth and Planets Laboratory, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - A C O'Brien
- School of Geographical and Earth Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - V Riggi
- Carnegie Institution for Science, Earth and Planets Laboratory, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - K Rogers
- Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Wang HY, Göttlicher J, Byrne JM, Guo HM, Benning LG, Norra S. Vertical redox zones of Fe-S-As coupled mineralogy in the sediments of Hetao Basin - Constraints for groundwater As contamination. J Hazard Mater 2021; 408:124924. [PMID: 33385723 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The formation of iron-sulfur-arsenic (Fe-S-As) minerals during biogeochemical processes in As contaminated aquifers remains poorly understood despite their importance to understanding As release and transport in such systems. In this study, X-ray absorption and Mössbauer spectroscopies complemented by electron microscopy, and chemical extractions were used to examine vertical changes of As, Fe and S speciation for the example of sediments in the Hetao Basin. Reduction of Fe(III), As(V) and SO42- species were shown to co-occur in the aquifers. Iron oxides were observed to be predominantly goethite and hematite (36 - 12%) and appeared to decrease in abundance with depth. Furthermore, reduced As (including arsenite and As sulfides) and sulfur species (including S(-II), S(-I) and S0) increased from 16% to 76% and from 13% to 44%, respectively. Iron oxides were the major As carrier in the sediments, and the lower groundwater As concentration consists with less desorbable and reducible As in the sediments. The formation of As-Fe sulfides (e.g., As containing pyrite and greigite) induced by redox heterogeneities likely contribute to localized lower groundwater As concentrations. These results help to further elucidate the complex relationship between biogeochemical processes and minerals formation in As contaminated aquifers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H Y Wang
- Institute of Applied Geoscience, Working Group of Environmental Mineralogy and Environmental System Analysis, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.
| | - J Göttlicher
- Institute of Photon Science and Synchrotron Radiation, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - J M Byrne
- Geomicrobiology, Center for Applied Geosciences, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany; Now: School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queens Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ, United Kingdom
| | - H M Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geoscience, 100083 Beijing, China
| | - L G Benning
- GFZ German Research Center for Geoscience, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| | - S Norra
- Institute of Applied Geoscience, Working Group of Environmental Mineralogy and Environmental System Analysis, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Perez JPH, Schiefler AA, Rubio SN, Reischer M, Overheu ND, Benning LG, Tobler DJ. Arsenic removal from natural groundwater using 'green rust': Solid phase stability and contaminant fate. J Hazard Mater 2021; 401:123327. [PMID: 32645539 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 06/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic (As) contamination in groundwater remains a pressing global challenge. In this study, we evaluated the potential of green rust (GR), a redox-active iron phase frequently occurring in anoxic environments, to treat As contamination at a former wood preservation site. We performed long-term batch experiments by exposing synthetic GR sulfate (GRSO4) to As-free and As-spiked (6 mg L-1) natural groundwater at both 25 and 4 °C. At 25 °C, GRSO4 was metastable in As-free groundwater and transformed to GRCO3, and then fully to magnetite within 120 days; however, GRSO4 stability increased 7-fold by lowering the temperature to 4 °C, and 8-fold by adding As to the groundwater at 25 °C. Highest GRSO4 stability was observed when As was added to the groundwater at 4 °C. This stabilizing effect is explained by GR solubility being lowered by adsorbed As and/or lower temperatures, inhibiting partial GR dissolution required for transformation to GRCO3, and ultimately to magnetite. Despite these mineral transformations, all added As was removed from As-spiked samples within 120 days at 25 °C, while uptake was 2 times slower at 4 °C. Overall, we have successfully documented that GR is an important mineral substrate for As immobilization in anoxic subsurface environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Paulo H Perez
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstr. 74-100, 12249 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Adrian Alexander Schiefler
- Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 5, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; Capital Region of Denmark, Kongens Vænge 2, 3400 Hillerød, Denmark
| | - Sandra Navaz Rubio
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstr. 74-100, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| | - Markus Reischer
- Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 5, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark; NIRAS A/S, Sortemosevej 19, 3450 Allerød, Denmark
| | | | - Liane G Benning
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstr. 74-100, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dominique J Tobler
- Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 5, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Rabizadeh T, Peacock CL, Benning LG. Investigating the Effectiveness of Phosphonate Additives in Hindering the Calcium Sulfate Dihydrate Scale Formation. Ind Eng Chem Res 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.0c03600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Taher Rabizadeh
- Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tabriz, 51666-16471 Tabriz, Iran
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline L. Peacock
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Liane G. Benning
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Free University of Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
H Perez JP, Freeman HM, Brown AP, van Genuchten CM, Dideriksen K, S'ari M, Tobler DJ, Benning LG. Direct Visualization of Arsenic Binding on Green Rust Sulfate. Environ Sci Technol 2020; 54:3297-3305. [PMID: 32078305 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b07092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
"Green rust" (GR), a redox-active Fe(II)-Fe(III) layered double hydroxide, is a potential environmentally relevant mineral substrate for arsenic (As) sequestration in reduced, subsurface environments. GR phases have high As uptake capacities at circum-neutral pH conditions, but the exact interaction mechanism between the GR phases and As species is still poorly understood. Here, we documented the bonding and interaction mechanisms between GR sulfate and As species [As(III) and As(V)] under anoxic and circum-neutral pH conditions through scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and combined it with synchrotron-based X-ray total scattering, pair distribution function (PDF) analysis, and As K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Our highly spatially resolved STEM-EDX data revealed that the preferred adsorption sites of both As(III) and As(V) are at GR crystal edges. Combining this data with differential PDF and XAS allowed us to conclude that As adsorption occurs primarily as bidentate binuclear (2C) inner-sphere surface complexes. In the As(III)-reacted GR sulfate, no secondary Fe-As phases were observed. However, authigenic parasymplesite (ferrous arsenate nanophase), exhibiting a threadlike morphology, formed in the As(V)-reacted GR sulfate and acts as an additional immobilization pathway for As(V) (∼87% of immobilized As). We demonstrate that only by combining high-resolution STEM imaging and EDX mapping with the bulk (differential) PDF and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data can one truly determine the de facto As binding nature on GR surfaces. More importantly, these new insights into As-GR interaction mechanisms highlight the impact of GR phases on As sequestration in anoxic subsurface environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Paulo H Perez
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| | - Helen M Freeman
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Andy P Brown
- School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Case M van Genuchten
- Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Knud Dideriksen
- Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mark S'ari
- School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Dominique J Tobler
- Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Liane G Benning
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Thomas AN, Eiche E, Göttlicher J, Steininger R, Benning LG, Freeman HM, Tobler DJ, Mangayayam M, Dideriksen K, Neumann T. Effects of metal cation substitution on hexavalent chromium reduction by green rust. Geochem Trans 2020; 21:2. [PMID: 32060743 PMCID: PMC7020553 DOI: 10.1186/s12932-020-00066-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Chromium contamination is a serious environmental issue in areas affected by leather tanning and metal plating, and green rust sulfate has been tested extensively as a potential material for in situ chemical reduction of hexavalent chromium in groundwater. Reported products and mechanisms for the reaction have varied, most likely because of green rust's layered structure, as reduction at outer and interlayer surfaces might produce different reaction products with variable stabilities. Based on studies of Cr(III) oxidation by biogenic Mn (IV) oxides, Cr mobility in oxic soils is controlled by the solubility of the Cr(III)-bearing phase. Therefore, careful engineering of green rust properties, i.e., crystal/particle size, morphology, structure, and electron availability, is essential for its optimization as a remediation reagent. In the present study, pure green rust sulfate and green rust sulfate with Al, Mg and Zn substitutions were synthesized and reacted with identical chromate (CrO42-) solutions. The reaction products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, pair distribution function analysis, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy and treated with synthetic δ-MnO2 to assess how easily Cr(III) in the products could be oxidized. It was found that Mg substitution had the most beneficial effect on Cr lability in the product. Less than 2.5% of the Cr(III) present in the reacted Mg-GR was reoxidized by δ-MnO2 within 14 days, and the particle structure and Cr speciation observed during X-ray scattering and absorption analyses of this product suggested that Cr(VI) was reduced in its interlayer. Reduction in the interlayer lead to the linkage of newly-formed Cr(III) to hydroxyl groups in the adjacent octahedral layers, which resulted in increased structural coherency between these layers, distinctive rim domains, sequestration of Cr(III) in insoluble Fe oxide bonding environments resistant to reoxidation and partial transformation to Cr(III)-substituted feroxyhyte. Based on the results of this study of hexavalent chromium reduction by green rust sulfate and other studies, further improvements can also be made to this remediation technique by reacting chromate with a large excess of green rust sulfate, which provides excess Fe(II) that can catalyze transformation to more crystalline iron oxides, and synthesis of the reactant under alkaline conditions, which has been shown to favor chromium reduction in the interlayer of Fe(II)-bearing phyllosilicates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew N Thomas
- Institute of Applied Geosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76137, Karlsruhe, Germany.
| | - Elisabeth Eiche
- Institute of Applied Geosciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76137, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Jörg Göttlicher
- Institute of Synchrotron Radiation, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Ralph Steininger
- Institute of Synchrotron Radiation, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Liane G Benning
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473, Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Free University of Berlin, 12249, Berlin, Germany
| | - Helen M Freeman
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473, Potsdam, Germany
- School of Chemical and Processing Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS29JT, UK
| | - Dominique J Tobler
- Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Marco Mangayayam
- Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Knud Dideriksen
- Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thomas Neumann
- Department of Applied Geosciences, Technical University of Berlin, 10587, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Lutz S, Procházková L, Benning LG, Nedbalová L, Remias D. Evaluating High-Throughput Sequencing Data of Microalgae Living in Melting Snow: Improvements and Limitations 1. Fottea (Praha) 2019; 19:115-131. [PMID: 33414851 PMCID: PMC7116558 DOI: 10.5507/fot.2019.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Melting snow fields are an extremophilic habitat dominated by closely related Chlamydomonadaceae (Chlorophyta). Microscopy-based classification of these cryophilic microalgae is challenging and may not reveal the true diversity. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) allows for a more comprehensive evaluation of the community. However, HTS approaches have been rarely used in such ecosystems and the output of their application has not been evaluated. Furthermore, there is no consensus on the choice for a suitable DNA marker or data processing workflow. We found that the correct placement of taxonomic strings onto OTUs strongly depends on the quality of the reference databases. We improved the assignments of the HST data by generating additional reference sequences of the locally abundant taxa, guided by light microscopy. Furthermore, a manual inspection of all automated OTU assignments, oligotyping of the most abundant 18S OTUs, as well as ITS2 secondary structure analyses were necessary for accurate species assignments. Moreover, the sole use of one marker can cause misleading results, either because of insufficient variability within the locus (18S) or the scarcity of reference sequences (ITS2). Our evaluation reveals that HTS output needs to be thoroughly checked when the studied habitats or organisms are poorly represented in publicly available databases. We recommend an optimized workflow for an improved biodiversity evaluation of not only snow algal communities, but generally 'exotic' ecosystems where similar problems arise. A consistent sampling strategy, two- molecular marker approach, light microscopy-based guidance, generation of appropriate reference sequences and final manual verification of all taxonomic assignments are highly recommended.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Liane G. Benning
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany School of Earth & Environment, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK Department of Earth Sciences, Free University of Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| | - Linda Nedbalová
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, 128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic
- The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, Dukelská 135, 379 82 Třeboň, Czech Republic
| | - Daniel Remias
- University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Stelzhamerstraße 23, 4600 Wels, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Nash MV, Anesio AM, Barker G, Tranter M, Varliero G, Eloe-Fadrosh EA, Nielsen T, Turpin-Jelfs T, Benning LG, Sánchez-Baracaldo P. Metagenomic insights into diazotrophic communities across Arctic glacier forefields. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2019; 94:5036517. [PMID: 29901729 PMCID: PMC6054269 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiy114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial nitrogen fixation is crucial for building labile nitrogen stocks and facilitating higher plant colonisation in oligotrophic glacier forefield soils. Here, the diazotrophic bacterial community structure across four Arctic glacier forefields was investigated using metagenomic analysis. In total, 70 soil metagenomes were used for taxonomic interpretation based on 185 nitrogenase (nif) sequences, extracted from assembled contigs. The low number of recovered genes highlights the need for deeper sequencing in some diverse samples, to uncover the complete microbial populations. A key group of forefield diazotrophs, found throughout the forefields, was identified using a nifH phylogeny, associated with nifH Cluster I and III. Sequences related most closely to groups including Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Cyanobacteria and Firmicutes. Using multiple nif genes in a Last Common Ancestor analysis revealed a diverse range of diazotrophs across the forefields. Key organisms identified across the forefields included Nostoc, Geobacter, Polaromonas and Frankia. Nitrogen fixers that are symbiotic with plants were also identified, through the presence of root associated diazotrophs, which fix nitrogen in return for reduced carbon. Additional nitrogen fixers identified in forefield soils were metabolically diverse, including fermentative and sulphur cycling bacteria, halophiles and anaerobes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maisie V Nash
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, UK
| | | | - Gary Barker
- School of Life Sciences, University of Bristol, UK
| | - Martyn Tranter
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, UK
| | | | | | - Torben Nielsen
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, 2800 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94598, US
| | | | - Liane G Benning
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany.,School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, Leeds, UK.,Department of Earth Sciences, Free University of Berlin, Malteserstr, 74-100, Building A, 12249, Berlin, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Lutz S, Ziolkowski LA, Benning LG. The Biodiversity and Geochemistry of Cryoconite Holes in Queen Maud Land, East Antarctica. Microorganisms 2019; 7:microorganisms7060160. [PMID: 31159414 PMCID: PMC6616603 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7060160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2019] [Revised: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Cryoconite holes are oases of microbial diversity on ice surfaces. In contrast to the Arctic, where during the summer most cryoconite holes are ‘open’, in Continental Antarctica they are most often ‘lidded’ or completely frozen year-round. Thus, they represent ideal systems for the study of microbial community assemblies as well as carbon accumulation, since individual cryoconite holes can be isolated from external inputs for years. Here, we use high-throughput sequencing of the 16S and 18S rRNA genes to describe the bacterial and eukaryotic community compositions in cryoconite holes and surrounding lake, snow, soil and rock samples in Queen Maud Land. We cross correlate our findings with a broad range of geochemical data including for the first time 13C and 14C analyses of Antarctic cryoconites. We show that the geographic location has a larger effect on the distribution of the bacterial community compared to the eukaryotic community. Cryoconite holes are distinct from the local soils in both 13C and 14C and their isotopic composition is different from similar samples from the Arctic. Carbon contents were generally low (≤0.2%) and older (6–10 ky) than the surrounding soils, suggesting that the cryoconite holes are much more isolated from the atmosphere than the soils.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Lutz
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany.
| | - Lori A Ziolkowski
- University of South Carolina, School of the Earth, Ocean and Environment, 701 Sumter St., EWS 617, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
| | - Liane G Benning
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany.
- Department of Earth Sciences, Free University of Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Hövelmann J, Stawski TM, Besselink R, Freeman HM, Dietmann KM, Mayanna S, Pauw BR, Benning LG. A template-free and low temperature method for the synthesis of mesoporous magnesium phosphate with uniform pore structure and high surface area. Nanoscale 2019; 11:6939-6951. [PMID: 30916071 DOI: 10.1039/c8nr09205b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Mesoporous phosphates are a group of nanostructured materials with promising applications, particularly in biomedicine and catalysis. However, their controlled synthesis via conventional template-based routes presents a number of challenges and limitations. Here, we show how to synthesize a mesoporous magnesium phosphate with a high surface area and a well-defined pore structure through thermal decomposition of a crystalline struvite (MgNH4PO4·6H2O) precursor. In a first step, struvite crystals with various morphologies and sizes, ranging from a few micrometers to several millimeters, had been synthesized from supersaturated aqueous solutions (saturation index (SI) between 0.5 and 4) at ambient pressure and temperature conditions. Afterwards, the crystals were thermally treated at 70-250 °C leading to the release of structurally bound water (H2O) and ammonia (NH3). By combining thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM, TEM), N2 sorption analyses and small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) we show that this decomposition process results in a pseudomorphic transformation of the original struvite into an amorphous Mg-phosphate. Of particular importance is the fact that the final material is characterized by a very uniform mesoporous structure with 2-5 nm wide pore channels, a large specific surface area of up to 300 m2 g-1 and a total pore volume of up to 0.28 cm3 g-1. Our struvite decomposition method is well controllable and reproducible and can be easily extended to the synthesis of other mesoporous phosphates. In addition, the so produced mesoporous material is a prime candidate for use in biomedical applications considering that magnesium phosphate is a widely used, non-toxic substance that has already shown excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jörn Hövelmann
- German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), Interface Geochemistry, 14473 Potsdam, Germany.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Perez JPH, Freeman HM, Schuessler JA, Benning LG. The interfacial reactivity of arsenic species with green rust sulfate (GR SO4). Sci Total Environ 2019; 648:1161-1170. [PMID: 30340262 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Revised: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Arsenic (As) contamination in groundwater is a significant health and environmental concern worldwide because of its wide distribution and toxicity. The fate and mobility of As is greatly influenced by its interaction with redox-active mineral phases, among which green rust (GR), an FeII-FeIII layered double hydroxide mineral, plays a crucial role. However, the controlling parameters of As uptake by GR are not yet fully understood. To fill this gap, we determined the interfacial reactions between GR sulfate (GRSO4) and aqueous inorganic As(III) and As(V) through batch adsorption experiments, under environmentally-relevant groundwater conditions. Our data showed that, under anoxic conditions, GRSO4 is a stable and effective mineral adsorbent for the removal of As(III) and As(V). At an initial concentration of 10 mg L-1, As(III) removal was higher at alkaline pH conditions (~95% removal at pH 9) while As(V) was more efficiently removed at near-neutral conditions (>99% at pH 7). The calculated maximum As adsorption capacities on GRSO4 were 160 mg g-1 (pH 8-9) for As(III) and 105 mg g-1 (pH 7) for As(V). The presence of other common groundwater ions such as Mg2+ and PO43- reduces the efficiency of As removal, especially at high ionic strengths. Long-term batch adsorption experiments (up to 90 days) revealed that As-interacted GRSO4 remained stable, with no mineral transformation or release of adsorbed As species. Overall, our work shows that GRSO4 is one of the most effective As adsorbents among iron (oxyhydr)oxide phases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Paulo H Perez
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; Department of Earth Sciences, Free University of Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Helen M Freeman
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jan A Schuessler
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Liane G Benning
- GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany; Department of Earth Sciences, Free University of Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Stawski TM, van den Heuvel DB, Besselink R, Tobler DJ, Benning LG. Mechanism of silica-lysozyme composite formation unravelled by in situ fast SAXS. Beilstein J Nanotechnol 2019; 10:182-197. [PMID: 30746312 PMCID: PMC6350881 DOI: 10.3762/bjnano.10.17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 12/11/2018] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
A quantitative understanding of aggregation mechanisms leading to the formation of composites of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) and proteins in aqueous media is of paramount interest for colloid chemistry. In particular, the interactions between silica (SiO2) NPs and lysozyme (LZM) have attracted attention, because LZM is well-known to adsorb strongly to silica NPs, while at the same time preserving its enzymatic activity. The inherent nature of the aggregation processes leading to NP-LZM composites involves structural changes at length scales from few to at least hundreds of nanometres but also time scales much smaller than one second. To unravel these we used in situ synchrotron-based small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and followed the subtle interparticle interactions in solution at a time resolution of 50 ms/frame (20 fps). We show that if the size of silica NPs (ca. 5 nm diameter) is matched by the dimensions of LZM, the evolving scattering patterns contain a unique structure-factor contribution originating from the presence of LZM. We developed a scattering model and applied it to analyse this structure function, which allowed us to extract structural information on the deformation of lysozyme molecules during aggregation, as well as to derive the mechanisms of composite formation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz M Stawski
- German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ, Interface Geochemistry, Telegrafenberg, 14473, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Daniela B van den Heuvel
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, LS2 9 JT, Leeds, UK
- Rock-Water Interaction Group, Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 3, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Rogier Besselink
- German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ, Interface Geochemistry, Telegrafenberg, 14473, Potsdam, Germany
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, IRD, IFSTTAR, ISTerre, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Dominique J Tobler
- Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 5, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Liane G Benning
- German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ, Interface Geochemistry, Telegrafenberg, 14473, Potsdam, Germany
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, LS2 9 JT, Leeds, UK
- Department of Earth Sciences, Free University of Berlin, Malteserstr. 74–100 / Building A, 12249, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Rabizadeh T, Morgan DJ, Peacock CL, Benning LG. Effectiveness of Green Additives vs Poly(acrylic acid) in Inhibiting Calcium Sulfate Dihydrate Crystallization. Ind Eng Chem Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.8b02904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Taher Rabizadeh
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tabriz, 51666-16471 Tabriz, Iran
| | - David J. Morgan
- Cardiff Catalysis Institute, School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline L. Peacock
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Liane G. Benning
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- GFZ, German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Free University of Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Veldhuis SA, Stawski TM, Gonzalez Rodriguez P, Yuan H, Besselink R, Benning LG, Ten Elshof JE. Following the Kinetics of Barium Titanate Nanocrystal Formation in Benzyl Alcohol Under Near-Ambient Conditions. Small 2018; 14:e1802003. [PMID: 30198075 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201802003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Revised: 08/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In complex chemical syntheses (e.g., coprecipitation reactions), nucleation, growth, and coarsening often occur concurrently, obscuring the individual processes. Improved knowledge of these processes will help to better understand and optimize the reaction protocol. Here, a form-free and model independent approach, based on a combination of time-resolved small/wide-angle X-ray scattering, is employed to elucidate the effect of reaction parameters (such as precursor concentration, reactant stoichiometry, and temperature) on the nucleation, crystallization, and growth phenomena during the formation of nanocrystalline barium titanate. The strength of this approach is that it relies solely on the total scattered intensity (i.e., scattering invariant) of the investigated system, and no prior knowledge is required. As such, it can be widely applied to other synthesis protocols and material's systems. Through the scattering invariant, it is found that the amorphous-to-crystalline transformation of barium titanate is predominantly determined by the total amount of water released from the gel-like barium hydroxide octahydrate precursor, and three rate-limiting regimes are established. As a result of this improved understanding of the effect of varying reaction conditions, elementary boundary conditions can be set up for a better control of the barium titanate nanocrystal synthesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sjoerd A Veldhuis
- Inorganic Materials Science Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P. O. Box 217, 7500, AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Tomasz M Stawski
- German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ, 14473, Potsdam, Germany
- School of Earth and Environment, Cohen Biogeochemistry Laboratory, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Pablo Gonzalez Rodriguez
- Inorganic Materials Science Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P. O. Box 217, 7500, AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Huiyu Yuan
- Inorganic Materials Science Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P. O. Box 217, 7500, AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Rogier Besselink
- German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ, 14473, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Liane G Benning
- German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ, 14473, Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Free University of Berlin, 12249, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johan E Ten Elshof
- Inorganic Materials Science Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, P. O. Box 217, 7500, AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Abstract
The Arctic is being disproportionally affected by climate change compared with other geographic locations, and is currently experiencing unprecedented melt rates. The Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) can be regarded as the largest supraglacial ecosystem on Earth, and ice algae are the dominant primary producers on bare ice surfaces throughout the course of a melt season. Ice-algal-derived pigments cause a darkening of the ice surface, which in turn decreases albedo and increases melt rates. The important role of ice algae in changing melt rates has only recently been recognized, and we currently know little about their community compositions and functions. Here, we present the first analysis of ice algal communities across a 100 km transect on the GrIS by high-throughput sequencing and subsequent oligotyping of the most abundant taxa. Our data reveal an extremely low algal diversity with Ancylonema nordenskiöldii and a Mesotaenium species being by far the dominant taxa at all sites. We employed an oligotyping approach and revealed a hidden diversity not detectable by conventional clustering of operational taxonomic units and taxonomic classification. Oligotypes of the dominant taxa exhibit a site-specific distribution, which may be linked to differences in temperatures and subsequently the extent of the melting. Our results help to better understand the distribution patterns of ice algal communities that play a crucial role in the GrIS ecosystem.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Lutz
- 1GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jenine McCutcheon
- 2School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - James B McQuaid
- 2School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Liane G Benning
- 1GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Galloway AF, Pedersen MJ, Merry B, Marcus SE, Blacker J, Benning LG, Field KJ, Knox JP. Xyloglucan is released by plants and promotes soil particle aggregation. New Phytol 2018; 217:1128-1136. [PMID: 29139121 PMCID: PMC5813166 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Soil is a crucial component of the biosphere and is a major sink for organic carbon. Plant roots are known to release a wide range of carbon-based compounds into soils, including polysaccharides, but the functions of these are not known in detail. Using a monoclonal antibody to plant cell wall xyloglucan, we show that this polysaccharide is secreted by a wide range of angiosperm roots, and relatively abundantly by grasses. It is also released from the rhizoids of liverworts, the earliest diverging lineage of land plants. Using analysis of water-stable aggregate size, dry dispersion particle analysis and scanning electron microscopy, we show that xyloglucan is effective in increasing soil particle aggregation, a key factor in the formation and function of healthy soils. To study the possible roles of xyloglucan in the formation of soils, we analysed the xyloglucan contents of mineral soils of known age exposed upon the retreat of glaciers. These glacial forefield soils had significantly higher xyloglucan contents than detected in a UK grassland soil. We propose that xyloglucan released from plant rhizoids/roots is an effective soil particle aggregator and may, in this role, have been important in the initial colonization of land.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew F. Galloway
- Centre for Plant SciencesFaculty of Biological SciencesUniversity of LeedsLeedsLS2 9JTUK
| | - Martin J. Pedersen
- Centre for Plant SciencesFaculty of Biological SciencesUniversity of LeedsLeedsLS2 9JTUK
| | - Beverley Merry
- Centre for Plant SciencesFaculty of Biological SciencesUniversity of LeedsLeedsLS2 9JTUK
| | - Susan E. Marcus
- Centre for Plant SciencesFaculty of Biological SciencesUniversity of LeedsLeedsLS2 9JTUK
| | - Joshua Blacker
- School of Earth & EnvironmentUniversity of LeedsLeedsLS2 9JTUK
| | - Liane G. Benning
- School of Earth & EnvironmentUniversity of LeedsLeedsLS2 9JTUK
- German Research Centre for GeosciencesGFZPotsdam14473Germany
- Department of Earth SciencesFree University of BerlinBerlin14195Germany
| | - Katie J. Field
- Centre for Plant SciencesFaculty of Biological SciencesUniversity of LeedsLeedsLS2 9JTUK
| | - J. Paul Knox
- Centre for Plant SciencesFaculty of Biological SciencesUniversity of LeedsLeedsLS2 9JTUK
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Stawski TM, Roncal-Herrero T, Fernandez-Martinez A, Matamoros-Veloza A, Kröger R, Benning LG. “On demand” triggered crystallization of CaCO3 from solute precursor species stabilized by the water-in-oil microemulsion. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 20:13825-13835. [DOI: 10.1039/c8cp00540k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Reverse microemulsion stabilizes a solute CaCO3 phase/species inside water nano-droplets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz M. Stawski
- German Research Centre for Geosciences
- GFZ
- Interface Geochemistry
- Potsdam
- Germany
| | | | | | | | | | - Liane G. Benning
- German Research Centre for Geosciences
- GFZ
- Interface Geochemistry
- Potsdam
- Germany
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Anesio AM, Lutz S, Chrismas NAM, Benning LG. The microbiome of glaciers and ice sheets. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2017; 3:10. [PMID: 28649411 PMCID: PMC5460203 DOI: 10.1038/s41522-017-0019-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2016] [Revised: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Glaciers and ice sheets, like other biomes, occupy a significant area of the planet and harbour biological communities with distinct interactions and feedbacks with their physical and chemical environment. In the case of the glacial biome, the biological processes are dominated almost exclusively by microbial communities. Habitats on glaciers and ice sheets with enough liquid water to sustain microbial activity include snow, surface ice, cryoconite holes, englacial systems and the interface between ice and overridden rock/soil. There is a remarkable similarity between the different specific glacial habitats across glaciers and ice sheets worldwide, particularly regarding their main primary producers and ecosystem engineers. At the surface, cyanobacteria dominate the carbon production in aquatic/sediment systems such as cryoconite holes, while eukaryotic Zygnematales and Chlamydomonadales dominate ice surfaces and snow dynamics, respectively. Microbially driven chemolithotrophic processes associated with sulphur and iron cycle and C transformations in subglacial ecosystems provide the basis for chemical transformations at the rock interface under the ice that underpin an important mechanism for the delivery of nutrients to downstream ecosystems. In this review, we focus on the main ecosystem engineers of glaciers and ice sheets and how they interact with their chemical and physical environment. We then discuss the implications of this microbial activity on the icy microbiome to the biogeochemistry of downstream ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre M. Anesio
- Bristol Glaciology Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1SS UK
| | - Stefanie Lutz
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Nathan A. M. Chrismas
- Bristol Glaciology Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1SS UK
| | - Liane G. Benning
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Earth Sciences, Free University of Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Lutz S, Anesio AM, Edwards A, Benning LG. Linking microbial diversity and functionality of arctic glacial surface habitats. Environ Microbiol 2016; 19:551-565. [PMID: 27511455 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Distinct microbial habitats on glacial surfaces are dominated by snow and ice algae, which are the critical players and the dominant primary colonisers and net producers during the melt season. Here for the first time we have evaluated the role of these algae in association with the full microbial community composition (i.e., algae, bacteria, archaea) in distinct surface habitats and on 12 glaciers and permanent snow fields in Svalbard and Arctic Sweden. We cross-correlated these data with the analyses of specific metabolites such as fatty acids and pigments, and a full suite of potential critical physico-chemical parameters including major and minor nutrients, and trace metals. It has been shown that correlations between single algal species, metabolites, and specific geochemical parameters can be used to unravel mixed metabolic signals in complex communities, further assign them to single species and infer their functionality. The data also clearly show that the production of metabolites in snow and ice algae is driven mainly by nitrogen and less so by phosphorus limitation. This is especially important for the synthesis of secondary carotenoids, which cause a darkening of glacial surfaces leading to a decrease in surface albedo and eventually higher melting rates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Lutz
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, 14473, Germany.,Cohen Laboratories, School of Earth & Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Alexandre M Anesio
- Bristol Glaciology Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1SS, UK
| | - Arwyn Edwards
- Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, SY23 3FL, UK.,Interdisciplinary Centre for Environmental Microbiology, Aberystwyth University, SY23 3FL, UK
| | - Liane G Benning
- GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, 14473, Germany.,Cohen Laboratories, School of Earth & Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Bonneville S, Bray AW, Benning LG. Structural Fe(II) Oxidation in Biotite by an Ectomycorrhizal Fungi Drives Mechanical Forcing. Environ Sci Technol 2016; 50:5589-5596. [PMID: 27128742 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b06178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Microorganisms are essential agents of Earth's soil weathering engine who help transform primary rock-forming minerals into soils. Mycorrhizal fungi, with their vast filamentous networks in symbiosis with the roots of most plants can alter a large number of minerals via local acidification, targeted excretion of ligands, submicron-scale biomechanical forcing, and mobilization of Mg, Fe, Al, and K at the hypha-biotite interface. Here, we present experimental evidence that Paxillus involutus-a basidiomycete fungus-in ectomycorrhizal symbiosis with Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), is able to oxidize a substantial amount of structural Fe(II) in biotite. Iron redox chemistry, quantified by X-ray absorption near edge spectra on 13 fungi-biotite sections along three distinct hypha colonizing the [001] basal plane of biotite, revealed variable but extensive Fe(II) oxidation up to ∼2 μm in depth and a Fe(III)/Fetotal ratio of up to ∼0.8. The growth of Fe(III) hydroxide implies a volumetric change and a strain within the biotite lattice potentially large enough to induce microcrack formation, which are abundant below the hypha-biotite interface. This Fe(II) oxidation also leads to the formation of a large pool of Fe(III) (i.e., structural Fe(III) and Fe(III) oxyhydroxides) within biotite that could participate in the Fe redox cycling in soils.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Steeve Bonneville
- Biogéochimie et Modélisation du Système Terre, Département Géosciences, Environnement et Société, Université Libre de Bruxelles , 50 av. F. D. Roosevelt, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Andrew W Bray
- Cohen Geochemistry, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds , Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Liane G Benning
- Cohen Geochemistry, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds , Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- GFZ, German Research Centre for Geosciences , Telegrafenberg, Potsdam 14473, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Stawski TM, van Driessche AES, Ossorio M, Diego Rodriguez-Blanco J, Besselink R, Benning LG. Formation of calcium sulfate through the aggregation of sub-3 nanometre primary species. Nat Commun 2016; 7:11177. [PMID: 27034256 PMCID: PMC4821993 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2015] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The formation pathways of gypsum remain uncertain. Here, using truly in situ and fast time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering, we quantify the four-stage solution-based nucleation and growth of gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O), an important mineral phase on Earth and Mars. The reaction starts through the fast formation of well-defined, primary species of <3 nm in length (stage I), followed in stage II by their arrangement into domains. The variations in volume fractions and electron densities suggest that these fast forming primary species contain Ca–SO4-cores that self-assemble in stage III into large aggregates. Within the aggregates these well-defined primary species start to grow (stage IV), and fully crystalize into gypsum through a structural rearrangement. Our results allow for a quantitative understanding of how natural calcium sulfate deposits may form on Earth and how a terrestrially unstable phase-like bassanite can persist at low-water activities currently dominating the surface of Mars. The quantitative understanding of how gypsum nucleates and grows from aqueous solutions is limited. Here, the authors demonstrate how, by using truly in situ and fast time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering, the four-stage solution-based nucleation and growth of this mineral can be quantified.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz M Stawski
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.,German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Alexander E S van Driessche
- LEC, IACT, CSIC-UGR, E-18100 Armilla, Spain.,Structural Biology Brussels, VUB, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.,CNRS, ISTerre, F-38041 Grenoble, France
| | | | | | - Rogier Besselink
- German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Liane G Benning
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.,German Research Centre for Geosciences, GFZ, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Pearce DA, Alekhina IA, Terauds A, Wilmotte A, Quesada A, Edwards A, Dommergue A, Sattler B, Adams BJ, Magalhães C, Chu WL, Lau MCY, Cary C, Smith DJ, Wall DH, Eguren G, Matcher G, Bradley JA, de Vera JP, Elster J, Hughes KA, Cuthbertson L, Benning LG, Gunde-Cimerman N, Convey P, Hong SG, Pointing SB, Pellizari VH, Vincent WF. Aerobiology Over Antarctica - A New Initiative for Atmospheric Ecology. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:16. [PMID: 26909068 PMCID: PMC4754734 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2015] [Accepted: 01/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of aerial dispersal in shaping patterns of biodiversity remains poorly understood, mainly due to a lack of coordinated efforts in gathering data at appropriate temporal and spatial scales. It has been long known that the rate of dispersal to an ecosystem can significantly influence ecosystem dynamics, and that aerial transport has been identified as an important source of biological input to remote locations. With the considerable effort devoted in recent decades to understanding atmospheric circulation in the south-polar region, a unique opportunity has emerged to investigate the atmospheric ecology of Antarctica, from regional to continental scales. This concept note identifies key questions in Antarctic microbial biogeography and the need for standardized sampling and analysis protocols to address such questions. A consortium of polar aerobiologists is established to bring together researchers with a common interest in the airborne dispersion of microbes and other propagules in the Antarctic, with opportunities for comparative studies in the Arctic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David A Pearce
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria UniversityNewcastle-upon-Tyne, UK; British Antarctic SurveyCambridge, UK
| | - Irina A Alekhina
- Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Aleks Terauds
- Australian Antarctic Division Kingston, TAS, Australia
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Catarina Magalhães
- Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto Porto, Portugal
| | - Wan-Loy Chu
- International Medical University Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Maggie C Y Lau
- Department of Geosciences, Princeton University Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Craig Cary
- University of Waikato Hamilton, New Zealand
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Josef Elster
- University of South BohemiaČeské Budějovice, Czech Republic; Institute of Botany of the Academy of Science of the Czech RepublicTřeboň, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Liane G Benning
- Helmholtz Centre Potsdam GFZ, German Research Centre for Geosciences Potsdam, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Lutz S, Anesio AM, Field K, Benning LG. Integrated 'Omics', Targeted Metabolite and Single-cell Analyses of Arctic Snow Algae Functionality and Adaptability. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:1323. [PMID: 26635781 PMCID: PMC4659291 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.01323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2015] [Accepted: 11/10/2015] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Snow algae are poly-extremophilic microalgae and important primary colonizers and producers on glaciers and snow fields. Depending on their pigmentation they cause green or red mass blooms during the melt season. This decreases surface albedo and thus further enhances snow and ice melting. Although the phenomenon of snow algal blooms has been known for a long time, large aspects of their physiology and ecology sill remain cryptic. This study provides the first in-depth and multi-omics investigation of two very striking adjacent green and red snow fields on a glacier in Svalbard. We have assessed the algal community composition of green and red snow including their associated microbiota, i.e., bacteria and archaea, their metabolic profiles (targeted and non-targeted metabolites) on the bulk and single-cell level, and assessed the feedbacks between the algae and their physico-chemical environment including liquid water content, pH, albedo, and nutrient availability. We demonstrate that green and red snow clearly vary in their physico-chemical environment, their microbial community composition and their metabolic profiles. For the algae this likely reflects both different stages of their life cycles and their adaptation strategies. Green snow represents a wet, carbon and nutrient rich environment and is dominated by the algae Microglena sp. with a metabolic profile that is characterized by key metabolites involved in growth and proliferation. In contrast, the dry and nutrient poor red snow habitat is colonized by various Chloromonas species with a high abundance of storage and reserve metabolites likely to face upcoming severe conditions. Combining a multitude of techniques we demonstrate the power of such complementary approaches in elucidating the function and ecology of extremophiles such as green and red snow algal blooms, which play crucial roles in glacial ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Lutz
- Cohen Laboratories, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds Leeds, UK ; GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences Potsdam, Germany
| | - Alexandre M Anesio
- Bristol Glaciology Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol Bristol, UK
| | - Katie Field
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield Sheffield, UK
| | - Liane G Benning
- Cohen Laboratories, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds Leeds, UK ; GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences Potsdam, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Vallina B, Rodriguez-Blanco JD, Brown AP, Blanco JA, Benning LG. The role of amorphous precursors in the crystallization of La and Nd carbonates. Nanoscale 2015; 7:12166-12179. [PMID: 26132514 DOI: 10.1039/c5nr01497b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Crystalline La and Nd carbonates can be formed from poorly-ordered nanoparticulate precursors, termed amorphous lanthanum carbonate (ALC) and amorphous neodymium carbonate (ANC). When reacted in air or in aqueous solutions these precursors show highly variable lifetimes and crystallization pathways. We have characterized these precursors and the crystallization pathways and products with solid-state, spectroscopic and microscopic techniques to explain the differences in crystallization mechanisms between the La and Nd systems. ALC and ANC consist of highly hydrated, 10-20 nm spherical nanoparticles with a general formula of REE2(CO3)3·5H2O (REE = La, Nd). The stabilities differ by ∼2 orders of magnitude, with ANC being far more stable than ALC. This difference is due to the Nd(3+) ion having a far higher hydration energy compared to the La(3+) ion. This, together with temperature and reaction times, leads to clear differences not only in the kinetics and mechanisms of crystallization of the amorphous precursor La- and Nd-carbonate phases but also in the resulting crystallite sizes and morphologies of the end products. All crystalline La and Nd carbonates developed spherulitic morphologies when crystallization occurred from hydrous phases in solution at temperatures above 60 °C (La system) and 95 °C (Nd system). We suggest that spherulitic growth occurs due to a rapid breakdown of the amorphous precursors and a concurrent rapid increase in supersaturation levels in the aqueous solution. The kinetic data show that the crystallization pathway for both La and Nd carbonate systems is dependent on the reaction temperature and the ionic potential of the REE(3+) ion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Vallina
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
45
|
Abstract
Algae are important primary colonizers of snow and glacial ice, but hitherto little is known about their ecology on Iceland's glaciers and ice caps. Due do the close proximity of active volcanoes delivering large amounts of ash and dust, they are special ecosystems. This study provides the first investigation of the presence and diversity of microbial communities on all major Icelandic glaciers and ice caps over a 3 year period. Using high-throughput sequencing of the small subunit ribosomal RNA genes (16S and 18S), we assessed the snow community structure and complemented these analyses with a comprehensive suite of physical-, geo-, and biochemical characterizations of the aqueous and solid components contained in snow and ice samples. Our data reveal that a limited number of snow algal taxa (Chloromonas polyptera, Raphidonema sempervirens and two uncultured Chlamydomonadaceae) support a rich community comprising of other micro-eukaryotes, bacteria and archaea. Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the dominant bacterial phyla. Archaea were also detected in sites where snow algae dominated and they mainly belong to the Nitrososphaerales, which are known as important ammonia oxidizers. Multivariate analyses indicated no relationships between nutrient data and microbial community structure. However, the aqueous geochemical simulations suggest that the microbial communities were not nutrient limited because of the equilibrium of snow with the nutrient-rich and fast dissolving volcanic ash. Increasing algal secondary carotenoid contents in the last stages of the melt seasons have previously been associated with a decrease in surface albedo, which in turn could potentially have an impact on the melt rates of Icelandic glaciers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Lutz
- Cohen Laboratories, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds Leeds, UK
| | - Alexandre M Anesio
- Bristol Glaciology Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol Bristol, UK
| | - Arwyn Edwards
- Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth, UK ; Interdisciplinary Centre for Environmental Microbiology, Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth, UK
| | - Liane G Benning
- Cohen Laboratories, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds Leeds, UK ; GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam Potsdam, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Burke IT, Mosselmans JFW, Shaw S, Peacock CL, Benning LG, Coker VS. Impact of the Diamond Light Source on research in Earth and environmental sciences: current work and future perspectives. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci 2015; 373:20130151. [PMID: 25624516 PMCID: PMC4308981 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2013.0151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Diamond Light Source Ltd celebrated its 10th anniversary as a company in December 2012 and has now accepted user experiments for over 5 years. This paper describes the current facilities available at Diamond and future developments that enhance its capacities with respect to the Earth and environmental sciences. A review of relevant research conducted at Diamond thus far is provided. This highlights how synchrotron-based studies have brought about important advances in our understanding of the fundamental parameters controlling highly complex mineral-fluid-microbe interface reactions in the natural environment. This new knowledge not only enhances our understanding of global biogeochemical processes, but also provides the opportunity for interventions to be designed for environmental remediation and beneficial use.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ian T Burke
- Earth Surface Science Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - J Frederick W Mosselmans
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Samuel Shaw
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Caroline L Peacock
- Earth Surface Science Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Liane G Benning
- Earth Surface Science Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Victoria S Coker
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Shi Z, Krom MD, Bonneville S, Benning LG. Atmospheric processing outside clouds increases soluble iron in mineral dust. Environ Sci Technol 2015; 49:1472-7. [PMID: 25574950 DOI: 10.1021/es504623x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Iron (Fe) is a key micronutrient regulating primary productivity in many parts of the global ocean. Dust deposition is an important source of Fe to the surface ocean, but most of this Fe is biologically unavailable. Atmospheric processing and reworking of Fe in dust aerosol can increase the bioavailable Fe inputs to the ocean, yet the processes are not well understood. Here, we experimentally simulate and model the cycling of Fe-bearing dust between wet aerosol and cloud droplets. Our results show that insoluble Fe in dust particles readily dissolves under acidic conditions relevant to wet aerosols. By contrast, under the higher pH conditions generally relevant to clouds, Fe dissolution tends to stop, and dissolved Fe precipitates as poorly crystalline nanoparticles. If the dust-bearing cloud droplets evaporated again (returning to the wet aerosol stage with low pH), those neo-formed Fe nanoparticles quickly redissolve, while the refractory Fe-bearing phases continue to dissolve gradually. Overall, the duration of the acidic, wet aerosol stage ultimately increases the amount of potentially bioavailable Fe delivered to oceans, while conditions in clouds favor the formation of Fe-rich nanoparticles in the atmosphere.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zongbo Shi
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham , Birmingham, U.K
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
48
|
Hodson ME, Benning LG, Demarchi B, Penkman KEH, Rodriguez-Blanco JD, Schofield PF, Versteegh EAA. Biomineralisation by earthworms - an investigation into the stability and distribution of amorphous calcium carbonate. Geochem Trans 2015; 16:4. [PMID: 26028991 PMCID: PMC4441739 DOI: 10.1186/s12932-015-0019-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 04/15/2015] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many biominerals form from amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), but this phase is highly unstable when synthesised in its pure form inorganically. Several species of earthworm secrete calcium carbonate granules which contain highly stable ACC. We analysed the milky fluid from which granules form and solid granules for amino acid (by liquid chromatography) and functional group (by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy) compositions. Granule elemental composition was determined using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and electron microprobe analysis (EMPA). Mass of ACC present in solid granules was quantified using FTIR and compared to granule elemental and amino acid compositions. Bulk analysis of granules was of powdered bulk material. Spatially resolved analysis was of thin sections of granules using synchrotron-based μ-FTIR and EMPA electron microprobe analysis. RESULTS The milky fluid from which granules form is amino acid-rich (≤ 136 ± 3 nmol mg-1 (n = 3; ± std dev) per individual amino acid); the CaCO3 phase present is ACC. Even four years after production, granules contain ACC. No correlation exists between mass of ACC present and granule elemental composition. Granule amino acid concentrations correlate well with ACC content (r ≥ 0.7, p ≤ 0.05) consistent with a role for amino acids (or the proteins they make up) in ACC stabilisation. Intra-granule variation in ACC (RSD = 16%) and amino acid concentration (RSD = 22-35%) was high for granules produced by the same earthworm. Maps of ACC distribution produced using synchrotron-based μ-FTIR mapping of granule thin sections and the relative intensity of the ν2: ν4 peak ratio, cluster analysis and component regression using ACC and calcite standards showed similar spatial distributions of likely ACC-rich and calcite-rich areas. We could not identify organic peaks in the μ-FTIR spectra and thus could not determine whether ACC-rich domains also had relatively high amino acid concentrations. No correlation exists between ACC distribution and elemental concentrations determined by EMPA. CONCLUSIONS ACC present in earthworm CaCO3 granules is highly stable. Our results suggest a role for amino acids (or proteins) in this stability. We see no evidence for stabilisation of ACC by incorporation of inorganic components. Graphical abstractSynchrotron-based μ-FTIR mapping was used to determine the spatial distribution of amorphous calcium carbonate in earthworm-produced CaCO3 granules.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Hodson
- />Environment Department, University of York, YO10 5DD York, UK
| | - Liane G Benning
- />Cohen Laboratories, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT Leeds, UK
- />GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Bea Demarchi
- />BioArCh, Departments of Chemistry and Archaeology, University of York, York, UK
| | - Kirsty E H Penkman
- />BioArCh, Departments of Chemistry and Archaeology, University of York, York, UK
| | - Juan D Rodriguez-Blanco
- />Cohen Laboratories, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT Leeds, UK
- />Nano-Science Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Paul F Schofield
- />Mineral and Planetary Sciences, Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD UK
| | - Emma A A Versteegh
- />Soil Research Centre, Department of Geography and Environmental Science, School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Wokingham, RG6 6DW UK
- />NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 USA
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Matamoros-Veloza A, Peacock CL, Benning LG. Selenium speciation in framboidal and euhedral pyrites in shales. Environ Sci Technol 2014; 48:8972-8979. [PMID: 25032506 DOI: 10.1021/es405686q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The release of Se from shales is poorly understood because its occurrence, distribution, and speciation in the various components of shale are unknown. To address this gap we combined bulk characterization, sequential extractions, and spatially resolved μ-focus spectroscopic analyses and investigated the occurrence and distribution of Se and other associated elements (Fe, As, Cr, Ni, and Zn) and determined the Se speciation at the μ-scale in typical, low bulk Se containing shales. Our results revealed Se primarily correlated with the pyrite fraction with exact Se speciation highly dependent on pyrite morphology. In euhedral pyrites, we found Se(-II) substitutes for S in the mineral structure. However, we also demonstrate that Se is associated with framboidal pyrite grains as a discrete, independent FeSex phase. The presence of this FeSex species has major implications for Se release, because FeSex species oxidize much faster than Se substituted in the euhedral pyrite lattice. Thus, such an FeSex species will enhance and control the dynamics of Se weathering and release into the aqueous environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Matamoros-Veloza
- Cohen Geochemistry Laboratory, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds , Leeds LS2 9JT, U.K
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
50
|
Lutz S, Anesio AM, Jorge Villar SE, Benning LG. Variations of algal communities cause darkening of a Greenland glacier. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2014; 89:402-14. [PMID: 24920320 DOI: 10.1111/1574-6941.12351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2013] [Revised: 04/11/2014] [Accepted: 04/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We have assessed the microbial ecology on the surface of Mittivakkat glacier in SE-Greenland during the exceptional high melting season in July 2012 when the so far most extreme melting rate for the Greenland Ice Sheet has been recorded. By employing a complementary and multi-disciplinary field sampling and analytical approach, we quantified the dramatic changes in the different microbial surface habitats (green snow, red snow, biofilms, grey ice, cryoconite holes). The observed clear change in dominant algal community and their rapidly changing cryo-organic adaptation inventory was linked to the high melting rate. The changes in carbon and nutrient fluxes between different microbial pools (from snow to ice, cryoconite holes and glacial forefronts) revealed that snow and ice algae dominate the net primary production at the onset of melting, and that they have the potential to support the cryoconite hole communities as carbon and nutrient sources. A large proportion of algal cells is retained on the glacial surface and temporal and spatial changes in pigmentation contribute to the darkening of the snow and ice surfaces. This implies that the fast, melt-induced algal growth has a high albedo reduction potential, and this may lead to a positive feedback speeding up melting processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Lutz
- School of Earth & Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|