Article
Microbiology
Sharon L. Grim, Alexander A. Voorhies, Bopaiah A. Biddanda, Sunit Jain, Stephen C. Nold, Russ Green, Gregory J. Dick
Summary: The research reveals the presence of cyanobacteria and various Proteobacteria in cyanobacterial mats, involved in metabolic activities such as sulfur cycling, demonstrating the interconnected cycling of oxygen and sulfur compounds.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Christos Kanellopoulos, Vasiliki Lamprinou, Artemis Politi, Panagiotis Voudouris, Ioannis Iliopoulos, Maria Kokkaliari, Leonidas Moforis, Athena Economou-Amilli
Summary: The study investigated microbial mats in a hot spring environment from Euboea Island, Greece, resulting in the formation of thermogenic travertine. Through interdisciplinary methods, the mineralogical composition of the studied samples was determined, showing that the main mineral phase is calcite and aragonite, with various trace elements present.
Article
Geology
Fumito Shiraishi, Yusaku Hanzawa, Jiro Asada, Leonardo Fadel Cury, Anelize Manuela Bahniuk
Summary: This study investigates tufa deposits formed in a tropical climate in Brazil and applies geomicrobiological techniques to clarify their depositional processes. The study reveals the significant contribution of cyanobacterial photosynthesis and the influence of extracellular polymeric substances on the depositional fabrics in tufas formed in a tropical climate.
SEDIMENTARY GEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Oleg S. Vereshchagin, Olga V. Frank-Kamenetskaya, Dmitry Yu. Vlasov, Marina S. Zelenskaya, Oksana A. Rodina, Irina A. Chernyshova, Dmitry E. Himelbrant, Irina S. Stepanchikova, Sergey N. Britvin
Summary: Microorganisms play a vital role in settlement and biomineralization under extreme conditions. In this study, we examined biofilms in the extreme environment of Tolbachik Volcano area and identified microbial biomineralization. Our findings show that lichens promote oxalate biomineralization in an acidic environment, while cyanobacteria suppress carbonate biomineralization. Calcium and copper oxalates were found in lichen biofilms, with the intensity of biomineralization varying with lichen age. These results highlight the abundance of biomineralization in terrestrial environments and provide insights into microbial biomineralization mechanisms.
Article
Ecology
Ivan J. Moreno, Bianca Brahamsha, Mohamed S. Donia, Brian Palenik
Summary: The microbial mat communities in the hot springs of the Black Canyon of the Colorado River were studied using both culture-independent and -dependent methods. The results showed that these communities are mainly composed of cyanobacterial taxa, along with a diverse community of protists and other eukaryotes. The use of full-length rRNA gene sequencing allowed for a higher resolution of the community, and correlation analysis supported the co-occurrence of cyanobacteria, chloroflexi, and bacteroidetes.
Article
Agronomy
Sekar Nishanth, Radha Prasanna, Firoz Hossain, Vignesh Muthusamy, Yashbir Singh Shivay, Lata Nain
Summary: This study aimed to improve iron and zinc mobilization from soil to maize kernels using cyanobacteria-based formulations. The results confirmed the significant effects of individual microbial inoculation and biofilms on enhancing nutrient availability in maize kernels. The An-Tr biofilm-G1 (hybrid) combination showed promising results in improving maize kernel quality and saving nitrogen fertilizer.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tyler J. Kohler, Joel G. Singley, Adam N. Wlostowski, Diane M. McKnight
Summary: The study investigates the role of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in regulating the composition of microbial mats in Antarctic streams, and confirms the importance of nitrogen fixation in stream nutrient budgets.
Article
Biology
Maya L. Gomes, Judith M. Klatt, Gregory J. Dick, Sharon L. Grim, Kathryn I. Rico, Matthew Medina, Wiebke Ziebis, Lauren Kinsman-Costello, Nathan D. Sheldon, David A. Fike
Summary: The sedimentary pyrite sulfur isotope record serves as an archive of ancient microbial sulfur cycling and environmental conditions. Analysis reveals that porewater sulfide delta S-34 values fluctuate significantly throughout the day due to light-driven changes in microbial activity.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Tania Keiko Shishido, Endrews Delbaje, Matti Wahlsten, Inkeri Vuori, Jouni Jokela, Muriel Gugger, Marli F. Fiore, David P. Fewer
Summary: This study reports the isolation of a harmful cyanobacterium (Kamptonema sp. UHCC 0994) from a benthic microbial mat collected in shallow water on the coast of Helsinki. Genome sequencing analysis revealed similarities between this harmful cyanobacterial strain and strains isolated from the Baltic Sea, all of which contain the biosynthetic genes for the production of the harmful compound cylindrospermopsin. These findings suggest that these toxic cyanobacteria may exhibit a tychoplanktic lifestyle in the Baltic Sea and could be a potential source of environmental toxins.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jonathan C. Sakkos, Maria M. Santos-Merino, Emmanuel Kokarakis, Bowen M. Li, Miguel Fuentes-Cabrera, Paolo M. Zuliani, Daniel Ducat
Summary: Microbial communities have important roles in human health and agriculture, and engineering designer consortia is becoming more popular for biotechnology applications. Monitoring metabolite exchange in dynamic microbial consortia is challenging, and computational tools can provide access to this information. In this study, a computer model of a synthetic microbial consortia was developed to understand its behavior and predict colony growth.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Yan Shen, Pablo Suarez-Gonzalez, Joachim Reitner
Summary: The study focuses on a modern calcifying microbial mat from a hypersaline lake in the Central Pacific and reveals a complex history with two main growth phases under high-salinity conditions, separated by an interruption caused by lake desiccation or freshening. The findings highlight different preservation pathways for organic matter within the mat, with distinctive lipid biomarker signatures in the thin crust protecting underlying lipids from degradation. The study suggests thin mineral crusts in microbialites as excellent targets for well-preserved biomarker signatures and calls for caution in interpreting complex microbialite biomarker signatures through combined investigations.
Review
Biology
Bopaiah Biddanda, Anthony Weinke, Ian Stone, Scott Kendall, Phil Hartmeyer, Wayne Lusardi, Stephanie Gandulla, John Bright, Steven Ruberg
Summary: Microbial life found in extreme habitats on Earth can serve as analogs to potential forms of life on other aquatic worlds, guiding the exploration of extraterrestrial hydrospheres. Studies of modern-day microbial mat ecosystems can expand our knowledge of Earth's biodiversity and aid in the search for life beyond Earth.
Review
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Marjorie A. Chan, Nancy W. Hinman, Sally L. Potter-McIntyre, Keith E. Schubert, Richard J. Gillams, Stanley M. Awramik, Penelope J. Boston, Dina M. Bower, David J. Des Marais, Jack D. Farmer, Tony Z. Jia, Penelope L. King, Robert M. Hazen, Richard J. Leveille, Dominic Papineau, Kaitlin R. Rempfert, Monica Sanchez-Roman, John R. Spear, Gordon Southam, Jennifer C. Stern, Henderson James Cleaves
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Alastair W. Tait, Emma J. Gagen, Siobhan A. Wilson, Andrew G. Tomkins, Gordon Southam
Article
Ecology
Andy O. Leu, Chen Cai, Simon J. McIlroy, Gordon Southam, Victoria J. Orphan, Zhiguo Yuan, Shihu Hu, Gene W. Tyson
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yunjia Liu, Songlin Wu, Felipe Saavedra-Mella, Tuan A. H. Nguyen, Gordon Southam, Ting-Shan Chan, Ying-Rui Lu, Longbin Huang
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alan Levett, Emma J. Gagen, Paulo M. Vasconcelos, Yitian Zhao, Anat Paz, Gordon Southam
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Emma J. Gagen, Julian Zaugg, Gene W. Tyson, Gordon Southam
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Alan Levett, Paulo M. Vasconcelos, Emma J. Gagen, Llew Rintoul, Carlos Spier, Paul Guagliardo, Gordon Southam
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Anat Paz, Emma J. Gagen, Alan Levett, Yitian Zhao, Peter M. Kopittke, Gordon Southam
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alex Schwarz, Ivan Nancucheo, Maria A. Gaete, Diego Munoz, Pamela Sanhueza, Martin Torregrosa, Tobias Rotting, Gordon Southam, Marcelo Aybar
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
A. Henne, D. Craw, E. J. Gagen, G. Southam
APPLIED GEOCHEMISTRY
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lachlan M. Robertson, Songlin Wu, Fang You, Longbin Huang, Gordon Southam, Ting-Shan Chan, Ying-Rui Lu, Phillip L. Bond
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2020)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Alan Levett, Paulo M. Vasconcelos, Michael M. W. Jones, Llew Rintoul, Anat Paz, Emma J. Gagen, Gordon Southam
Summary: The evolution of iron-rich duricrusts in the Serra Sul de Carajas in Brazil plays a key role in enriching and preserving world-class iron ore deposits. Research shows that various exogenous materials are incorporated into secondary cements within the duricrusts, and microorganisms likely contribute to mineral weathering and biomineralization. The mobility of titanium within the duricrusts and the release of ferrous iron during weathering of magnetite-bearing rocks are also important findings.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
James Vaughan, Kate Tungpalan, Anita Parbhakar-Fox, Weng Fu, Emma J. Gagen, Philip Nti Nkrumah, Gordon Southam, Antony van der Ent, Peter D. Erskine, Paul Gow, Rick Valenta
Summary: This article explores the increasing demand for rare earth elements in modern high-tech components and the potential benefits of reprocessing uranium mine tailings. It describes the geology, historical processing methods, and characteristics of the tailings material at the Mary Kathleen uranium mine. Additionally, it reviews conventional and alternative rare earth element processing options.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Heike Bostelmann, Gordon Southam
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yunjia Liu, Songlin Wu, Gordon Southam, Ting-Shan Chan, Ying-Rui Lu, David J. Paterson, Longbin Huang
Summary: The study utilized exogenous Acidithiobacillus species to accelerate the weathering of sulfidic minerals and formation of secondary mineral gels in sulfidic Pb-Zn tailings, successfully promoting the development of hardpan structure.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Zhen-Min Ge, Xiao-Long Huang, Wei Xie, Tobias W. Hofig, Fan Yang, Yang Yu, S. Khogenkumar Singh
Summary: The mantle source composition of the nascent oceanic crust in the central part of the Gulf of California has been investigated using basaltic glass samples. These samples show trace element patterns similar to enriched mid-ocean ridge basalts, suggesting that the nascent oceanic crust in the Guaymas Basin might be generated through partial melting of a depleted mantle source metasomatized by subducted slab materials.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Jean-Michel Brazier, Katja E. Goetschl, Martin Dietzel, Vasileios Mavromatis
Summary: This study estimated the distribution coefficient of Zn2+ between calcite/aragonite and reactive fluids and found that the growth rate strongly influences D-Zn(2+) in both minerals. Additionally, a linear correlation was found between D-Zn(2+) and the saturation degree of the reactive fluid.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Ming Lei, Michele Lustrino, Jifeng Xu, Zhiqiang Kang, Zhengfu Guo, Jianlin Chen
Summary: This study presents a comprehensive geochronological, mineralogical, and geochemical analysis of olivine leucitites in the Maiga area of southern Tibet, suggesting that these rocks originate from a carbonated peridotite mantle source and highlighting the possibility of carbonates being recycled deep into the mantle during continental subduction.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Yuntao Ye, Xiaomei Wang, Huajian Wang, Haifeng Fan, Zhigang Chen, Qingjun Guo, Ziteng Wang, Chaodong Wu, Donald E. Canfield, Shuichang Zhang
Summary: Phosphorus is an essential element for life and its cycle in the ocean is closely connected with the carbon and oxygen cycles. The study of phosphate oxygen isotopes can provide insights into various reactions related to phosphorus. By analyzing carbonate fluorapatite samples from the Mesoproterozoic Era in North China, it was found that the oxygen isotope values were lower compared to modern samples, indicating a warmer climate during that time period and a potential reason for the scarcity of phosphorite.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Vincent Busigny, Oanez Lebeau, Didier Jezeduel, Carine Chaduteau, Sean Crowe, Magali Ader
Summary: This study conducted high-precision Mo isotope research on hydrothermal metal sulfides from a porphyry copper deposit in Southwest China and found that different stages of mineralization have distinct Mo isotope compositions, providing valuable insights into the behavior of Mo isotopes in magmatic-hydrothermal systems.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Min Ji, Xiao-Ying Gao, Yong-Fei Zheng, Bing Gong
Summary: The study examines the anatectic mechanisms in the Himalayan orogen, finding that pressure and temperature control the reaction, while water content mainly affects the solid-phase composition. Dehydration and hydration melting likely occur at different depths in the crust. This research provides important insights into the melting processes in collisional orogens.