skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Assembly and Succession of Iron Oxide Microbial Mat Communities in Acidic Geothermal Springs

Journal Article · · Frontiers in Microbiology
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [4];  [1]
  1. Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States). Dept. of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences
  2. Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States). Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Biodetection Science and Biological Science Division
  3. Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States). Dept. of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering
  4. USDOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI), Walnut Creek, CA (United States)

Biomineralized ferric oxide microbial mats are ubiquitous features on Earth, are common in hot springs of Yellowstone National Park (YNP, WY, USA), and form due to direct interaction between microbial and physicochemical processes. The overall goal of this study was to determine the contribution of different community members to the assembly and succession of acidic high-temperature Fe(III)-oxide mat ecosystems. Spatial and temporal changes in Fe(III)-oxide accretion and the abundance of relevant community members were monitored over 70 days using sterile glass microscope slides incubated in the outflow channels of two acidic geothermal springs (pH = 3-3.5; temperature = 68-75°C) in YNP. Hydrogenobaculum spp. were the most abundant taxon identified during early successional stages (4-40 days), and have been shown to oxidize arsenite, sulfide, and hydrogen coupled to oxygen reduction. Iron-oxidizing populations of Metallosphaera yellowstonensis were detected within 4 days, and reached steady-state levels within 14-30 days, corresponding to visible Fe(III)-oxide accretion. Heterotrophic archaea colonized near 30 days, and emerged as the dominant functional guild after 70 days and in mature Fe(III)-oxide mats (1-2 cm thick). First-order rate constants of Fe(III)-oxide accretion ranged from 0.046 to 0.05 day -1 , and in situ microelectrode measurements showed that the oxidation of Fe(II) is limited by the diffusion of O2 into the Fe(III)-oxide mat. The formation of microterracettes also implicated O2 as a major variable controlling microbial growth and subsequent mat morphology. The assembly and succession of Fe(III)-oxide mat communities follows a repeatable pattern of colonization by lithoautotrophic organisms, and the subsequent growth of diverse organoheterotrophs. The unique geochemical signatures and micromorphology of extant biomineralized Fe(III)-oxide mats are also useful for understanding other Fe(II)-oxidizing systems.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1379092
Journal Information:
Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol. 7, Issue FEB; ISSN 1664-302X
Publisher:
Frontiers Research FoundationCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 23 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (45)

Geomicrobiological Cycling of Iron journal January 2005
AMD biofilms: using model communities to study microbial evolution and ecological complexity in nature journal February 2010
Geoarchaeota: a new candidate phylum in the Archaea from high-temperature acidic iron mats in Yellowstone National Park journal November 2012
Geochemistry and Dynamics of the Yellowstone National Park Hydrothermal System journal May 1989
Hot-spring Systems Geobiology: abiotic and biotic influences on travertine formation at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, USA: Hot-spring systems geobiology journal January 2011
Global patterns of 16S rRNA diversity at a depth of millions of sequences per sample journal June 2010
Acidic Mine Drainage: The Rate-Determining Step journal February 1970
Redox-driven regulation of microbial community morphogenesis journal April 2014
On the energetics of chemolithotrophy in nonequilibrium systems: case studies of geothermal springs in Yellowstone National Park journal October 2005
Sulfur-metabolizing bacterial populations in microbial mats of the Nakabusa hot spring, Japan journal June 2011
Linking microbial oxidation of arsenic with detection and phylogenetic analysis of arsenite oxidase genes in diverse geothermal environments journal February 2009
Effects of biofilm structures on oxygen distribution and mass transport journal May 1994
A 3-Hydroxypropionate/4-Hydroxybutyrate Autotrophic Carbon Dioxide Assimilation Pathway in Archaea journal December 2007
Diversity of bacterial iron mineralization journal May 1998
Molecular analysis of microbial community structure in an arsenite-oxidizing acidic thermal spring journal August 2001
Niche specialization of novel Thaumarchaeota to oxic and hypoxic acidic geothermal springs of Yellowstone National Park journal November 2013
Biomineralization of As(V)-hydrous ferric oxyhydroxide in microbial mats of an acid-sulfate-chloride geothermal spring, Yellowstone National Park journal August 2004
Loihi Seamount, Hawaii: a mid-plate volcano with a distinctive hydrothermal system journal October 1988
The role of microbes in accretion, lamination and early lithification of modern marine stromatolites journal August 2000
Metagenome Sequence Analysis of Filamentous Microbial Communities Obtained from Geochemically Distinct Geothermal Channels Reveals Specialization of Three Aquificales Lineages journal January 2013
Linking geochemical processes with microbial community analysis: successional dynamics in an arsenic-rich, acid-sulphate-chloride geothermal spring journal July 2004
Relation between Catalytic Activity and Size of Particle journal July 1939
Jarosite as an indicator of water-limited chemical weathering on Mars journal October 2004
Rapid Oxidation of Arsenite in a Hot Spring Ecosystem, Yellowstone National Park journal August 2001
Tungsten in biological systems journal March 1996
Molecular recognition in biomineralization journal March 1988
Comparative Genomic Analysis of Phylogenetically Closely Related Hydrogenobaculum sp. Isolates from Yellowstone National Park journal February 2013
Phylogenetic and Functional Analysis of Metagenome Sequence from High-Temperature Archaeal Habitats Demonstrate Linkages between Metabolic Potential and Geochemistry journal January 2013
Accumulation of arsenic from acidic mine waters by ferruginous bacterial accretions (stromatolites) journal July 1996
Metagenomes from High-Temperature Chemotrophic Systems Reveal Geochemical Controls on Microbial Community Structure and Function journal March 2010
Isolation and Distribution of a Novel Iron-Oxidizing Crenarchaeon from Acidic Geothermal Springs in Yellowstone National Park journal December 2007
In situ analysis of oxygen consumption and diffusive transport in high-temperature acidic iron-oxide microbial mats : Oxygen consumption in geothermal iron-oxide microbial mats journal March 2013
Microbial Iron Cycling in Acidic Geothermal Springs of Yellowstone National Park: Integrating Molecular Surveys, Geochemical Processes, and Isolation of Novel Fe-Active Microorganisms journal January 2012
The term stromatolite: towards an essential definition journal December 1999
Biogeochemistry and microbiology of microaerobic Fe(II) oxidation journal November 2012
The Strategy of Ecosystem Development journal April 1969
Microbial biomass: A catalyst for CaCO3 precipitation in advection-dominated transport regimes journal March 2008
Relative Importance of H2 and H2S as Energy Sources for Primary Production in Geothermal Springs journal July 2008
Autecology of an Arsenite Chemolithotroph: Sulfide Constraints on Function and Distribution in a Geothermal Spring journal September 2007
Terminal Oxidase Diversity and Function in “ Metallosphaera yellowstonensis ”: Gene Expression and Protein Modeling Suggest Mechanisms of Fe(II) Oxidation in the Sulfolobales journal January 2011
CO2 Uptake and Fixation by a Thermoacidophilic Microbial Community Attached to Precipitated Sulfur in a Geothermal Spring journal May 2009
Predominant Acidilobus-Like Populations from Geothermal Environments in Yellowstone National Park Exhibit Similar Metabolic Potential in Different Hypoxic Microbial Communities journal October 2013
Carbon Dioxide Fixation by Metallosphaera yellowstonensis and Acidothermophilic Iron-Oxidizing Microbial Communities from Yellowstone National Park journal February 2014
Investigation of an Iron-Oxidizing Microbial Mat Community Located near Aarhus, Denmark: Field Studies journal January 1994
Arsenite-Oxidizing Hydrogenobaculum Strain Isolated from an Acid-Sulfate-Chloride Geothermal Spring in Yellowstone National Park journal March 2004

Cited By (10)

Flat pebbles and their edge-wise fabric in relation to 2-D microbial mat journal September 2018
A review of the mechanisms of mineral-based metabolism in early Earth analog rock-hosted hydrothermal ecosystems journal January 2019
Forfeiting the priority effect: turnover defines biofilm community succession journal March 2019
Marsarchaeota are an aerobic archaeal lineage abundant in geothermal iron oxide microbial mats journal May 2018
Life in Hot Spring Microbial Mats Located in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt: A 16S/18S rRNA Gene and Metagenomic Analysis journal April 2018
The lacustrine microbial carbonate factory of the successive Lake Bonneville and Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA journal August 2018
Mechanisms of Mineral Substrate Acquisition in a Thermoacidophile journal April 2018
Multiscale analysis of autotroph-heterotroph interactions in a high-temperature microbial community journal September 2018
Hydrogen Peroxide Cycling in High-Temperature Acidic Geothermal Springs and Potential Implications for Oxidative Stress Response journal May 2017
Integration of Metagenomic and Stable Carbon Isotope Evidence Reveals the Extent and Mechanisms of Carbon Dioxide Fixation in High-Temperature Microbial Communities journal February 2017