Review
Microbiology
Andreas Kappler, Casey Bryce, Muammar Mansor, Ulf Lueder, James M. Byrne, Elizabeth D. Swanner
Summary: The biogeochemical cycling of iron plays a crucial role in environmental processes such as ocean productivity, carbon storage, greenhouse gas emissions, and nutrient and contaminant fate. Recent studies have uncovered novel processes in the biogeochemical iron cycle and shown that oxidation and reduction of iron occur cyclically or simultaneously in many environments.
NATURE REVIEWS MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sunhui Lee, Edward J. O'Loughlin, Man Jae Kwon
Summary: Urban subsurface environments are often impacted by human activities, leading to elevated levels of organic and inorganic compounds in the soil and groundwater. Microbial reactions, mineral transformations, and microbial community transitions in these environments are poorly understood. Factors such as organic acid concentration and sulfate levels can greatly impact microbial reactions in different soil layers.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Adam J. Williamson, Jonathan R. Lloyd, Christopher Boothman, Gareth T. W. Law, Samuel Shaw, Joe S. Small, Gianni F. Vettese, Heather A. Williams, Katherine Morris
Summary: This study investigated the biogeochemical processes of Tc in high pH, cementitious environments. The findings suggest that both biological and abiotic reduction play important roles in Tc removal in these environments.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Olivia E. Mosley, Emilie Gios, Murray Close, Louise Weaver, Chris Daughney, Kim M. Handley
Summary: The nitrogen cycle plays a crucial role in aquatic ecosystems, including the subsurface. However, the diversity of nitrogen transformations in these environments is not well understood. This study investigated how nitrogen cycling microorganisms respond to different groundwater chemistries. The results showed that regardless of site-specific conditions, nitrogen cycling mechanisms were prevalent and highly redundant in groundwater communities. The study also revealed the presence of oxic-anoxic interfaces and potential synergistic interactions between microorganisms at these interfaces. The findings provide insights into cooperative relationships in groundwater communities and the complexity of metabolic mechanisms leading to nitrogen loss.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Seth G. John, Rachel L. Kelly, Xiaopeng Bian, Feixue Fu, M. Isabel Smith, Nathan T. Lanning, Hengdi Liang, Benoit Pasquier, Emily A. Seelen, Mark Holzer, Laura Wasylenki, Tim M. Conway, Jessica N. Fitzsimmons, David A. Hutchins, Shun-Chung Yang
Summary: The study investigates the biogeochemical cycle of nickel in the oceans, revealing the distribution characteristics and influencing factors of oceanic nickel through a combination of experiments and simulations.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Changxun Yu, Shurong Xie, Zhaoliang Song, Shaopan Xia, Mats E. Astrom
Summary: Coastal wetlands are important reservoirs of organic carbon and various iron (hydr-)oxides, which are closely linked to the turnover of organic carbon in these ecosystems. The distribution of Fe (hydr-)oxides in coastal wetland soils is influenced by regional hydro-geochemical processes and anthropogenic activities, while the activities of plant roots and macro-organisms play a critical role in the formation and turnover of Fe (hydr-)oxides. The interaction between Fe plaques dominated by amorphous Fe hydroxides and wetland plant roots contributes to maintaining plant productivity in coastal wetlands under different environmental stresses.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Hai-Zhen Zhu, Cheng-Ying Jiang, Shuang-Jiang Liu
Summary: Microbes in subterranean caves play a crucial role in cave evolution and biogeochemical cycling of elements, but there are still gaps in understanding how they sustain in caves with limited nutrients and interact with the cave environment.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Marie-Noelle Decraene, Johanna Marin-Carbonne, Christophe Thomazo, Nicolas Olivier, Pascal Philippot, Harald Strauss, Etienne Deloule
Summary: Iron isotope compositions of sedimentary pyrites are used to study the redox evolution of the Precambrian ocean and early Fe-based metabolisms. The study on micropyrites from stromatolites in the Tumbiana Formation reveals a complex two-step iron cycling process, including partial Fe oxidation followed by microbially induced Fe reduction, contributing to the understanding of Archean microbial ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Kaitlin R. Rempfert, Daniel B. Nothaft, Emily A. Kraus, Ciara K. Asamoto, R. Dave Evans, John R. Spear, Juerg M. Matter, Sebastian H. Kopf, Alexis S. Templeton
Summary: Nitrogen is an essential element for life, and its availability and forms in subsurface ecosystems, especially serpentinite-hosted settings, are not well understood. This study analyzed nitrogen and oxygen isotopes to investigate the source, abundance, and cycling of nitrogen species in the Samail Ophiolite of Oman. The results reveal the dominant dissolved nitrogen species and provide insights into the microbial life and nitrogen cycling in serpentinite environments.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ruifeng Zhang, Laramie Jensen, Jessica Fitzsimmons, Robert M. Sherrell, Phoebe Lam, Yang Xiang, Seth John
Summary: The Arctic Ocean is unique, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific basins and being especially vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate. Iron stable isotopes provide a unique window into the biogeochemical cycling of Fe in the Arctic. Research on seawater delta Fe-56 in the Western Arctic Ocean from the 2015 U.S. GEOTRACES GN01 transect has been presented.
GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Bin Ma, Erinne Stirling, Yuanhui Liu, Kankan Zhao, Jizhong Zhou, Brajesh K. Singh, Caixian Tang, Randy A. Dahlgren, Jianming Xu
Summary: This study identified key microbial taxa regulating soil biogeochemical processes using metagenomic data from forest soils in eastern China, highlighting the sensitivity of soil pH as an indicator for functional gene composition and diversity. A bipartite network inferred from metagenomic contigs revealed microbial taxa regulating coupled biogeochemical cycles between carbon and phosphorus, nitrogen and sulfur, and nitrogen and iron, providing novel evidence for the coupling of soil biogeochemical cycles and demonstrating the efficacy of a new approach to investigate soil ecosystem functions.
Article
Ecology
Tamara Michaelis, Anja Wunderlich, Omer K. Coskun, William Oersi, Thomas Baumann, Florian Einsiedl
Summary: By conducting high-resolution depth profile geochemical analysis on the riverbed of the Moosach River in Germany, the study revealed the production and consumption processes of large quantities of CH4 in the HZ, as well as the potential sources of different CH4, further confirming the importance of HZ.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Muhammad Mahroz Hussain, Irshad Bibi, Nabeel Khan Niazi, Muhammad Shahid, Jibran Iqbal, Muhammad Bilal Shakoor, Arslan Ahmad, Noor Samad Shah, Prosun Bhattacharya, Kang Mao, Jochen Bundschuh, Yong Sik Ok, Hua Zhang
Summary: Arsenic contamination in paddy soil poses a global environmental and health issue, with key factors including As speciation and accumulation, pH, iron oxides, organic matter, microbial species, etc. Rice plants have a higher uptake of arsenile (As(III)) compared to other food crops, and different mineral nutrients and amendments can mitigate the transfer of As to rice grain.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Patricia Q. Tran, Samantha C. Bachand, Peter B. McIntyre, Benjamin M. Kraemer, Yvonne Vadeboncoeur, Ismael A. Kimirei, Rashid Tamatamah, Katherine D. McMahon, Karthik Anantharaman
Summary: Through genome-resolved metagenomics and environmental analyses, this study revealed a contrast in community composition and metabolic potential between the oxygenated upper layers with typical freshwater taxa and deep anoxic waters with Archaea and uncultured Candidate Phyla. The genomic capacity for nitrogen and sulfur cycling was found to be abundant in microbial genomes recovered from anoxic waters, indicating their contribution to recycling nutrients and greenhouse gases in surface layers. This study provides insight into the role of aquatic microbial genomics in tropical freshwater lakes, particularly in the face of climate change bringing increased stratification and anoxia.
Article
Microbiology
Alexander B. Michaud, Remi O. Masse, David Emerson
Summary: Water logged tundra habitats have diverse microbial communities associated with the iron and methane cycles, with undisturbed habitats exhibiting higher iron content and acidity compared to disturbed habitats. Anthropogenic disturbance, such as gravel mining, alters the microbiology and disrupts important biogeochemical cycles in the Arctic tundra.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Mina Bizic, Traian Brad, Danny Ionescu, Lucian Barbu-Tudoran, Luca Zoccarato, Joost W. Aerts, Paul-Emile Contarini, Olivier Gros, Jean-Marie Volland, Radu Popa, Jessica Ody, Daniel Vellone, Jean-Francois Flot, Scott Tighe, Serban M. Sarbu
Summary: Thiovulum spp. are large sulfur bacteria that form veil-like structures in aquatic environments. The study focused on Thiovulum strains found in the sulfidic Movile Cave and other subsurface environments, which were found to be genetically distinct from marine Thiovulum strains. The analysis revealed a new species called Candidatus Thiovulum stygium, and showed that cave Thiovulum can switch between aerobic and anaerobic sulfide oxidation, playing a role in both sulfur and nitrogen cycles. Electron microscopy analysis suggested that the short peritrichous structures of Thiovulum are type IV pili, which may contribute to veil formation and the motility of these bacteria.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Andrea Castillejos Sepulveda, Edouard Metzger, Sten Littmann, Heidi Taubner, Arjun Chennu, Lais Gatti, Dirk de Beer, Judith M. Klatt
Summary: In this study, a novel method was developed to generate images of porewater arsenic speciation, which is crucial for understanding arsenic mobility in contaminated soil and sediment. This method combines diffusive equilibrium in thin-film gels and spectrophotometric methods to determine the spatial distribution of arsenite, arsenate, and phosphate at a submillimeter resolution. The results provide valuable insights into the transfer and redox cycling of arsenic in contaminated sediment/soil ecosystems.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
T. Klintzsch, H. Geisinger, A. Wieland, G. Langer, G. Nehrke, M. Bizic, M. Greule, K. Lenhart, C. Borsch, M. Schroll, F. Keppler
Summary: Aquatic ecosystems have a significant impact on global methane cycling, with studies showing methane supersaturation in the oxic surface mixed layer (SML) of oceans and epilimnion of lakes. The origin of methane formed under oxygenated conditions is hotly debated, but stable isotope measurements suggest that methane from phytoplankton is distinguishable from methane produced by methanogenic archaea. Comparing laboratory experiments with field measurements, it is suggested that algal and cyanobacterial populations substantially contribute to methane formation in the SML of oceans and lakes.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Lukas M. Trebuch, Olivia M. Bourceau, Stijn M. F. Vaessen, Thomas R. Neu, Marcel Janssen, Dirk de Beer, Louise E. M. Vet, Rene H. Wijffels, Tania V. Fernandes
Summary: Photogranules are spherical aggregates formed of complex phototrophic ecosystems with potential for aeration-free wastewater treatment. They are biologically and chemically stratified, with filamentous cyanobacteria arranged in discrete layers and forming a scaffold to which other organisms were attached. Oxygen, nitrate, and light gradients were also detectable. Photosynthetic activity and nitrification were both predominantly restricted to the outer 500 mu m, but while photosynthesis was relatively insensitive to the oxygen and nutrient concentrations tested, nitrification was highly sensitive. Oxygen was cycled internally, and nitrogen and carbon were cycled through paired nitrification and denitrification, and photosynthesis and respiration, respectively.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Sebastian Zeman-Kuhnert, Christine Heim, Merve Oeztoprak, Volker Thiel
Summary: This study analyzed the distribution of lipid biomarkers in Lake Seeburg to assess their origin and transfer into the lake deposits. The results indicate that the compounds mainly come from external sources and internal production. The ratios of C27 and C29 stanols can be used as indicators of eutrophication trends.
ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Doris Ilicic, Danny Ionescu, Jason Woodhouse, Hans-Peter Grossart
Summary: In recent years, our understanding of the roles of bacterial communities in the Antarctic Ocean has significantly improved. It has been found that Antarctic marine bacteria are metabolically versatile, and even closely related strains may differ in their functionality and, therefore, affect the ecosystem differently. However, most studies have focused on entire bacterial communities, with little attention given to individual taxonomic groups. This study shows that a 1-degree Celsius increase in water temperature is enough to alter bacterial communities on a short-term temporal scale, emphasizing the importance of understanding how climate change affects bacterial species in the Antarctic.
Article
Environmental Sciences
S. Berg, L. Emmerson, C. Heim, E. Buchta, T. Fromm, B. Glaser, W. -d. Hermichen, J. Rethemeyer, C. Southwell, U. Wand, M. Zech, M. Melles
Summary: Snow petrels in the Antarctic region produce stomach oil for feeding and also leave it around the nests, forming deposits known as Antarctic mumiyo. These deposits provide insights into the paleo-ecological diet of snow petrels and serve as archives of past marine environmental conditions. By analyzing modern stomach oils and fossil deposits, researchers have found consistency in the composition, allowing inference of changes in snow petrel diet. Regional and temporal differences in the composition of snow petrel diet suggest varying environmental conditions. This study validates methods for paleo-studies and assesses changes and variability in snow petrel diet.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-BIOGEOSCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Limnology
Kaitlin L. Reinl, Ted D. Harris, Rebecca L. North, Pablo Almela, Stella A. Berger, Mina Bizic, Sarah H. Burnet, Hans-Peter Grossart, Bastiaan W. Ibelings, Ellinor Jakobsson, Lesley B. Knoll, Brenda M. Lafrancois, Yvonne McElarney, Ana M. Morales-Williams, Ulrike Obertegger, Igor Ogashawara, Ma Cristina Paule-Mercado, Benjamin L. Peierls, James A. Rusak, Siddhartha Sarkar, Sapna Sharma, Jessica V. Trout-Haney, Pablo Urrutia-Cordero, Jason J. Venkiteswaran, Danielle J. Wain, Katelynn Warner, Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer, Kiyoko Yokota
Summary: Cyanobacterial blooms have negative impacts on freshwater ecosystems, including releasing toxins, blocking light, and depleting oxygen. Climate change may promote cyanobacterial blooms, as increasing lake surface temperature can enhance their growth. Recent evidence shows that cyanobacterial blooms can also occur in cold-water temperatures (< 15 degrees C), even under ice-covered conditions.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Danny Ionescu, Jean-Marie Volland, Paul-Emile Contarini, Olivier Gros
Summary: Bacteria and Archaea, traditionally considered to have simple morphology, have been found to include giant bacteria. Genomic studies have revealed the physiology and evolutionary mechanisms of these giant bacteria.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Solveig Nachtigall, Christine Heim
Summary: The restoration of eutrophic river and lake ecosystems is important but often temporary, requiring reassessment and modification of restoration measures. This study found that Lake Seeburg functions as a sink for nitrogen, but has high phosphorous loading, contributing to eutrophication. Additionally, the lake's nutrient loading is not solely influenced by external inputs, but also by internal phosphorous release.
Article
Neurosciences
Sofia Spataro, Bohumil Maco, Stephane Escrig, Louise Jensen, Lubos Polerecky, Graham Knott, Anders Meibom, Bernard L. Schneider
Summary: Parkinson's disease involves the accumulation of protein alpha-synuclein, which affects metabolic processes and leads to degeneration of specific subtypes of neurons. This study used electron microscopy and isotopic imaging to investigate carbon enrichments in dopaminergic neurons, revealing metabolic anomalies at the subcellular level.
ACTA NEUROPATHOLOGICA COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Annika Vaksmaa, Lubos Polerecky, Nina Dombrowski, Michiel V. M. Kienhuis, Ilsa Posthuma, Jan Gerritse, Teun Boekhout, Helge Niemann
Summary: Ocean plastic pollution is a severe environmental problem, but most of the plastic released to the ocean since the 1950s is unaccounted for. This study demonstrates the potential of the yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa to degrade and incorporate carbon from polyethylene plastic, suggesting that fungal plastic degradation could be an important sink for polyethylene litter in the marine environment.
ISME COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Limnology
Chloe M. J. Baumas, Fatima-Ezzahra Ababou, Marc Garel, Mina Bizic, Danny Ionescu, Arthur Puzenat, Frederic A. C. Le Moigne, Hans-Peter Grossart, Christian Tamburini
Summary: The exchange of carbon between the ocean and the atmosphere depends on the balance between sinking marine particles carrying organic carbon and their remineralization by attached microbial communities. However, our understanding of this process is limited due to considering sinking particles and associated microbial communities as a bulk, which hampers our mechanistic understanding of the biological carbon pump (BCP). In this study, the researchers developed a method to sample individual particles, preserving their shape, structure, and nucleic acids, and coupled this with 16S rRNA analysis to investigate the heterogeneity of active bacterial communities from different particle origins. The new method allows for the association of active prokaryotic and functional diversity patterns with particle features, improving our understanding of the BCP in a rapidly changing ocean.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY-METHODS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
T. C. Scheier, J. Franz, M. Boumasmoud, F. Andreoni, B. Chakrakodi, B. Duvnjak, A. Egli, W. Zingg, A. Ramette, A. Wolfensberger, R. D. Kouyos, S. D. Brugger
Summary: This study evaluated the application of FT-IR spectroscopy in VREfm outbreak investigations. The results showed that FT-IR spectroscopy had reproducible basic performance, and its readouts showed high agreement with WGS analysis in clinical outbreak investigations. FT-IR spectroscopy had a higher discriminatory power than MLST in outbreak investigations. Therefore, FT-IR spectroscopy is a promising technique that can assist in outbreak investigations with an affordable cost and a turnaround time of less than one day.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
