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Arce-Rodríguez A, Libby E, Castellón E, Avendaño R, Cambronero JC, Vargas M, Pieper DH, Bertilsson S, Chavarría M, Puente-Sánchez F. Out of the blue: the independent activity of sulfur-oxidizers and diatoms mediate the sudden color shift of a tropical river. Environ Microbiome 2023; 18:6. [PMID: 36658604 PMCID: PMC9854191 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-023-00464-2] [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: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Río Celeste ("Sky-Blue River") is a river located in the Tenorio National Park (Costa Rica) that has become an important hotspot for eco-tourism due to its striking sky-blue color. A previous study indicated that this color is not caused by dissolved chemical species, but by formation of light-scattering aluminosilicate particles at the mixing point of two colorless streams, the acidic Quebrada Agria and the neutral Río Buenavista. RESULTS We now present microbiological information on Río Celeste and its two tributaries, as well as a more detailed characterization of the particles that occur at the mixing point. Our results overturn the previous belief that the light scattering particles are formed by the aggregation of smaller particles coming from Río Buenavista, and rather point to chemical formation of hydroxyaluminosilicate colloids when Quebrada Agria is partially neutralized by Río Buenavista, which also contributes silica to the reaction. The process is mediated by the activities of different microorganisms in both streams. In Quebrada Agria, sulfur-oxidizing bacteria generate an acidic environment, which in turn cause dissolution and mobilization of aluminum and other metals. In Río Buenavista, the growth of diatoms transforms dissolved silicon into colloidal biogenic forms which may facilitate particle precipitation. CONCLUSIONS We show how the sky-blue color of Río Celeste arises from the tight interaction between chemical and biological processes, in what constitutes a textbook example of emergent behavior in environmental microbiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Arce-Rodríguez
- Institute of Microbiology, Technical University of Braunschweig, 38106, Brunswick, Germany
- Microbial Interactions and Processes Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Eduardo Libby
- Escuela de Química, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, 11501-2060, Costa Rica
| | - Erick Castellón
- Escuela de Química, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, 11501-2060, Costa Rica
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencia e Ingeniería de Materiales (CICIMA), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, 11501-2060, Costa Rica
| | - Roberto Avendaño
- Centro Nacional de Innovaciones Biotecnológicas (CENIBiot), CeNAT-CONARE, San José, 1174-1200, Costa Rica
| | - Juan Carlos Cambronero
- Centro de Investigaciones en Productos Naturales (CIPRONA), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, 11501-2060, Costa Rica
| | - Maribel Vargas
- Centro de Investigaciones en Estructuras Microscópicas (CIEMic), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, 11501-2060, Costa Rica
| | - Dietmar H Pieper
- Microbial Interactions and Processes Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124, Brunswick, Germany
| | - Stefan Bertilsson
- Deparment of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lennart Hjelms Väg 9, 756 51, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Max Chavarría
- Escuela de Química, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, 11501-2060, Costa Rica
- Centro Nacional de Innovaciones Biotecnológicas (CENIBiot), CeNAT-CONARE, San José, 1174-1200, Costa Rica
- Centro de Investigaciones en Productos Naturales (CIPRONA), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, 11501-2060, Costa Rica
| | - Fernando Puente-Sánchez
- Deparment of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lennart Hjelms Väg 9, 756 51, Uppsala, Sweden.
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Perl SM, Celestian AJ, Cockell CS, Corsetti FA, Barge LM, Bottjer D, Filiberto J, Baxter BK, Kanik I, Potter-McIntyre S, Weber JM, Rodriguez LE, Melwani Daswani M. A Proposed Geobiology-Driven Nomenclature for Astrobiological In Situ Observations and Sample Analyses. Astrobiology 2021; 21:954-967. [PMID: 34357788 PMCID: PMC8403179 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2020.2318] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
As the exploration of Mars and other worlds for signs of life has increased, the need for a common nomenclature and consensus has become significantly important for proper identification of nonterrestrial/non-Earth biology, biogenic structures, and chemical processes generated from biological processes. The fact that Earth is our single data point for all life, diversity, and evolution means that there is an inherent bias toward life as we know it through our own planet's history. The search for life "as we don't know it" then brings this bias forward to decision-making regarding mission instruments and payloads. Understandably, this leads to several top-level scientific, theoretical, and philosophical questions regarding the definition of life and what it means for future life detection missions. How can we decide on how and where to detect known and unknown signs of life with a single biased data point? What features could act as universal biosignatures that support Darwinian evolution in the geological context of nonterrestrial time lines? The purpose of this article is to generate an improved nomenclature for terrestrial features that have mineral/microbial interactions within structures and to confirm which features can only exist from life (biotic), features that are modified by biological processes (biogenic), features that life does not affect (abiotic), and properties that can exist or not regardless of the presence of biology (abiogenic). These four categories are critical in understanding and deciphering future returned samples from Mars, signs of potential extinct/ancient and extant life on Mars, and in situ analyses from ocean worlds to distinguish and separate what physical structures and chemical patterns are due to life and which are not. Moreover, we discuss hypothetical detection and preservation environments for extant and extinct life, respectively. These proposed environments will take into account independent active and ancient in situ detection prospects by using previous planetary exploration studies and discuss the geobiological implications within an astrobiological context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott M. Perl
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Mineral Sciences, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Blue Marble Space Institute for Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Address correspondence to: Scott M. Perl, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, +USA
| | - Aaron J. Celestian
- Mineral Sciences, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Charles S. Cockell
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Frank A. Corsetti
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Laura M. Barge
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Blue Marble Space Institute for Science, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - David Bottjer
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | | | - Bonnie K. Baxter
- Great Salt Lake Institute, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Isik Kanik
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Sally Potter-McIntyre
- School of Earth Systems and Sustainability, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, Illinois, USA
| | - Jessica M. Weber
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Laura E. Rodriguez
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - Mohit Melwani Daswani
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
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Abstract
The conditions, timing, and setting for the origin of life on Earth and whether life exists elsewhere in our solar system and beyond represent some of the most fundamental scientific questions of our time. Although the bombardment of planets and satellites by asteroids and comets has long been viewed as a destructive process that would have presented a barrier to the emergence of life and frustrated or extinguished life, we provide a comprehensive synthesis of data and observations on the beneficial role of impacts in a wide range of prebiotic and biological processes. In the context of previously proposed environments for the origin of life on Earth, we discuss how meteorite impacts can generate both subaerial and submarine hydrothermal vents, abundant hydrothermal-sedimentary settings, and impact analogues for volcanic pumice rafts and splash pools. Impact events can also deliver and/or generate many of the necessary chemical ingredients for life and catalytic substrates such as clays as well. The role that impact cratering plays in fracturing planetary crusts and its effects on deep subsurface habitats for life are also discussed. In summary, we propose that meteorite impact events are a fundamental geobiological process in planetary evolution that played an important role in the origin of life on Earth. We conclude with the recommendation that impact craters should be considered prime sites in the search for evidence of past life on Mars. Furthermore, unlike other geological processes such as volcanism or plate tectonics, impact cratering is ubiquitous on planetary bodies throughout the Universe and is independent of size, composition, and distance from the host star. Impact events thus provide a mechanism with the potential to generate habitable planets, moons, and asteroids throughout the Solar System and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- G.R. Osinski
- Institute for Earth and Space Exploration, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
- Address correspondence to: Dr. Gordon Osinski, Department of Earth Sciences, 1151 Richmond Street, University of Western Ontario, London ON, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - C.S. Cockell
- UK Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - A. Pontefract
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - H.M. Sapers
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Vítek P, Ascaso C, Artieda O, Casero MC, Wierzchos J. Raman imaging of microbial colonization in rock-some analytical aspects. Anal Bioanal Chem 2020; 412:3717-3726. [PMID: 32249342 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-020-02622-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Raman imaging allows one to obtain spatially resolved chemical information in a nondestructive manner. Herein, we present analytical aspects of effective in situ and in vivo Raman imaging of algae and cyanobacteria from within their native rock habitats. Specifically, gypsum and halite inhabited by endolithic communities from the hyperarid Atacama Desert were analyzed. Raman imaging of these phototrophic colonization reveals a pigment composition within the aggregates that helps in understanding some of their adaptation strategies to survive in this harsh polyextreme environment. The study is focused on methodical aspects of Raman imaging acquisition and subsequent data processing. Point imaging is compared with line imaging in terms of their image quality, spatial resolution, spectral signal-to-noise ratio, time requirements, and risk of laser-induced sample alteration. The roles of excitation wavelength, exposure time, and step size of the imaging grid on successful Raman imaging results are also discussed. Graphical abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr Vítek
- Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Bělidla 986/4a, 603 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Carmen Ascaso
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, c/ Serrano 115 dpdo., 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Octavio Artieda
- Departamento Biología Vegetal, Ecología y Ciencias de la Tierra, and IACYS, Universidad de Extremadura, 10600, Plasencia, Spain
| | - M Cristina Casero
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, c/ Serrano 115 dpdo., 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jacek Wierzchos
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, c/ Serrano 115 dpdo., 28006, Madrid, Spain
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Cui H, Xiao S, Cai Y, Peek S, Plummer RE, Kaufman AJ. Sedimentology and chemostratigraphy of the terminal Ediacaran Dengying Formation at the Gaojiashan section, South China. Geol Mag 2019; n/a:10.1017/S0016756819000293. [PMID: 31631899 PMCID: PMC6800678 DOI: 10.1017/s0016756819000293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The late Ediacaran Dengying Formation (ca. 551.1-538.8 Ma) in South China is one of two successions where Ediacara-type macrofossils are preserved in carbonate facies along with skeletal fossils and bilaterian animal traces. Given the remarkable thickness of carbonate-bearing strata deposited in less than 12.3 million years, the Dengying Formation holds the potential for a relatively continuous chemostratigraphic profile for the terminal Ediacaran stage. In this study, a detailed sedimentological and chemostratigraphic (δ13Ccarb, δ18Ocarb, δ13Corg, δ34Spyrite, and 87Sr/86Sr) investigation was conducted on the Dengying Formation at the Gaojiashan section, Ningqiang County of the southern Shaanxi Province, South China. Sedimentological results reveal an overall shallow marine depositional environment. Carbonate breccia, void-filling botryoidal precipitates, and aragonite crystal fans are common in the Algal Dolomite Member of the Dengying Formation, suggesting that peritidal facies were repeatedly karstified. The timing of karstification was likely early, probably soon after the deposition of the dolomite sediments. The presence of authigenic aragonite cements suggests high alkalinity in the terminal Ediacaran ocean. Geochemical analysis of micro-drilled samples shows that distinct compositions are registered in different carbonate phases, which should be considered when constructing chemostratigraphic profiles representative of true temporal variations in seawater chemistry. Integrated chemostratigraphic data suggest enhanced burial of organic carbon and pyrite, and the occurrence of extensive marine anoxia (at least in the Gaojiashan Member). Rapid basinal subsidence and carbonate accumulation during a time of elevated seawater alkalinity and increased rates of pyrite burial may have facilitated the evolutionary innovation of early biomineralizing metazoans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Cui
- Research Group of Analytical, Environmental and Geo- Chemistry (AMGC), Division of Earth System Science, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels 1050, Belgium
- ET-HOME (Evolution and Tracers of the Habitability of Mars and Earth) Astrobiology Research Consortium, Belgium
- NASA Astrobiology Institute, Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
- Author for correspondence: (H. Cui) or (H. Cui), Present address: Research Group of AMGC, Free University of Brussels (VUB), Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Shuhai Xiao
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Yaoping Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Early Life and Environment, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Sara Peek
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
- United States Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Rebecca E. Plummer
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
- Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD 20705 USA
| | - Alan J. Kaufman
- Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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6
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Ronholm J, Goordial J, Sapers HM, Izawa MRM, Applin DM, Pontefract A, Omelon CR, Lamarche-Gagnon G, Cloutis EA, Whyte LG. Characterization of Microbial Communities Hosted in Quartzofeldspathic and Serpentinite Lithologies in Jeffrey Mine, Canada. Astrobiology 2018; 18:1008-1022. [PMID: 29989429 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2017.1685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The microbial ecology and activity of serpentine deposits and associated hydrated minerals are largely unknown. Previous research has largely focused on microbial communities in active serpentinizing systems, whereas relatively little research has demonstrated the ability of serpentine deposits to host microbial communities after the cessation of serpentinization. Given the potential role of serpentinization reactions fueling primitive microbial metabolisms on early Earth and the identification of serpentine deposits on Mars, knowledge of these geobiological relationships and potential for serpentine to host extant microbial communities and preserve biosignatures is increasingly important for planetary exploration seeking signs of life. The selection of habitable sites most likely to yield putative biosignatures is crucial to mission success. In this study, we aimed to characterize, on the basis of both metabolic activity and taxonomic composition, the microbial communities hosted in two naturally co-occurring and mineralogically distinct substrates within the serpentine-rich Jeffrey Mine pit-igneous quartzofeldspathic intrusives and serpentinite. Detection of heterotrophic activity in both lithologies at 24°C, and in serpentinite at -5°C, demonstrated that each substrate had the ability to host a viable microbial community, at Mars-relevant temperatures. Targeted amplicon sequencing subsequently showed the presence of bacterial, fungal, and photosynthetic microbial communities in both substrates. Here, we have demonstrated the presence of a viable lithic microbial community within two rock types in the Jeffrey Mine and provided evidence that lithologies associated with serpentine deposits and proximal hydrated minerals have the ability to support diverse prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial colonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Ronholm
- 1 Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University , Ste Anne de Bellevue, Canada
- 2 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University , Ste Anne de Bellevue, Canada
| | - Jacqueline Goordial
- 3 Department of Natural Resource Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University , Ste Anne de Bellevue, Canada
| | - Haley M Sapers
- 3 Department of Natural Resource Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University , Ste Anne de Bellevue, Canada
- 4 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration, University of Western Ontario , London, Canada
| | - Matthew R M Izawa
- 5 Department of Geography, University of Winnipeg , Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Daniel M Applin
- 5 Department of Geography, University of Winnipeg , Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Alexandra Pontefract
- 6 Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | | | - Guillaume Lamarche-Gagnon
- 3 Department of Natural Resource Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University , Ste Anne de Bellevue, Canada
| | - Edward A Cloutis
- 5 Department of Geography, University of Winnipeg , Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Lyle G Whyte
- 3 Department of Natural Resource Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University , Ste Anne de Bellevue, Canada
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