Structure and development of a benthic marine microbial mat

Stal, Lucas J.; Gemerden, Hans van; Krumbein, Wolfgang E.

doi:10.1111/j.1574-6968.1985.tb01138.x

Cited by 223 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(51 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Our assumption that these mat sections were of different ages is based on (1) their qualitative differences (slight green banding vs. multicolored layering, loose vs. stabilized sediment) and (2) their close proximity (similar biotic and abiotic characteristics). These definitions are consistent with descriptions of coastal mat development elsewhere (Stal et al, 1985; Mir et al, 1991; Stal and Caumette, 1994). Henceforth, we refer to the two cores from 2010 as “young mat” (YM-10) and “old mat,” (OM-10).…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 88%

“…This result is in agreement with other studies of intertidal mats, which demonstrate patterns of succession initiated by Oscillatoria spp. and other oxygenic phototrophs (Stal et al, 1985; Bolhuis and Stal, 2011). These early colonizers contribute to the formation of the underlying layers by stabilizing the sediment and making available organic carbon to the heterotroph communities, whose activities in turn create anoxic conditions and permit dissimilatory sulfate reduction and photosynthetic oxidation of hydrogen sulfide as life history strategies (Herbert and Welsh, 1994).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Millimeter-scale patterns of phylogenetic and trait diversity in a salt marsh microbial mat

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Intertidal microbial mats are comprised of distinctly colored millimeter-thick layers whose communities organize in response to environmental gradients such as light availability, oxygen/sulfur concentrations, and redox potential. Here, slight changes in depth correspond to sharp niche boundaries. We explore the patterns of biodiversity along this depth gradient as it relates to functional groups of bacteria, as well as trait-encoding genes. We used molecular techniques to determine how the mat’s layers differed from one another with respect to taxonomic, phylogenetic, and trait diversity, and used these metrics to assess potential drivers of community assembly. We used a range of null models to compute the degree of phylogenetic and functional dispersion for each layer. The SSU-rRNA reads were dominated by Cyanobacteria and Chromatiales, but contained a high taxonomic diversity. The composition of each mat core was significantly different for developmental stage, year, and layer. Phylogenetic richness and evenness positively covaried with depth, and trait richness tended to decrease with depth. We found evidence for significant phylogenetic clustering for all bacteria below the surface layer, supporting the role of habitat filtering in the assembly of mat layers. However, this signal disappeared when the phylogenetic dispersion of particular functional groups, such as oxygenic phototrophs, was measured. Overall, trait diversity measured by orthologous genes was also lower than would be expected by chance, except for genes related to photosynthesis in the topmost layer. Additionally, we show how the choice of taxa pools, null models, spatial scale, and phylogenies can impact our ability to test hypotheses pertaining to community assembly. Our results demonstrate that given the appropriate physiochemical conditions, strong phylogenetic, and trait variation, as well as habitat filtering, can occur at the millimeter-scale.

show abstract

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Millimeter-scale patterns of phylogenetic and trait diversity in a salt marsh microbial mat

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A presence of a suitable substrate is often mentioned for initiation and growth of microbial deposits but considered as obvious concept. Only a few studies regarded this as a key requirement (factor itself): n marine settings, Stal et al [11] examined sediment size and availability for microbial mat structure and development, and Ginsburg and Planavsky [12] highlighted the essential role of substrate in the Bahamian microbialites development. Dromart et al [13] discussed the stability of the substrate as a main factor of development and consequential morphology of Jurassic deep-marine microbial structures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of the Substrate on the Mineralization Potential of Microbial Mats in A Modern Freshwater River (Paris Basin, France)

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The relationship between environmental conditions and the development, mineralization and preservation of modern tufa microbialites was investigated in a 1.1 km long freshwater stream in Villiers-le-Bâcle, a tributary of Mérantaise river. Detailed mapping of the tufa microbialite distribution combined with sedimentological, petrographical and mineralogical analyses were coupled with chemical measurements. Six organosedimentary structures were identified; their distribution appears heterogeneous along the stream and responds to physicochemical conditions of water and specific biological components (e.g., microorganism, exopolymeric substance). Two of the organosedimentary structures show evidence of mineralization and only one is lithified. Based on field observations and in-situ deployment of mineralization markers (bricks), three zones with increasing mineralization intensities are defined, ranging from no mineralization to thick mineralized crusts forming riverine tufa. Both biotic and abiotic processes were proposed for the tufa microbialite formation. We explained changes in mineralization intensities by the specific physicochemical conditions (e.g., calcite saturation index (SIcalc) and partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) and a closed proximity of the cyanobacterial biofilm and carbonates precipitates. The physical and chemical composition of substrate impact development of microbial communities, mineralization potential of tufa microbialite. Even though the physicochemical and biological conditions were optimal for mineral precipitation, the potential of lithification depended on the presence of a suitable (physical and chemical) substrate.

show abstract

“…The dominance of cyanobacteria in the epibenthic mats of Puerto Rosales, and in particular the species Microcoleus chthonoplastes, which has many trichomes threaded into a spiral arrangement resulting in a mesh of interweaving cyanobacterial filaments, has been pointed to be indicative of a well-developed microbial mat [31]. The architecture of cyanobacteria filaments proper, and the secretion of EPS interplay and they generate a more efficient entanglement of sediment grains than in a diatom biofilm [32].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interaction between Estuarine Microphytobenthos and Physical Forcings: The Role of Atmospheric and Sedimentary Factors

Pan¹,

Bournod²,

Cuadrado³

et al. 2013

IJG

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The goal of this study was to analyze microbial mats and biofilms from the lower supratidal area of the Bahía Blanca estuary (Argentina), and explore their relationship with sediments and other physical forcings. Thirteen monthly sediment samples (uppermost 10 mm) were taken and their composition and abundance in microorganisms was determined by microscopy. Physical parameters (solar radiation and sediment temperature at −5 cm) were recorded with a frequency of 5 minutes by a coastal environmental monitoring station. Additionally, sediment grain size and moisture content were determined for distinct layers in the uppermost 20 mm, and the rate of inundation of the supratidal area was estimated from tidal gauge measurements. There were significant seasonal differences in the biomass of the microphytobenthic groups considered (filamentous cyanobacteria and epipelic diatoms), with the former consistently making up >70% of the total biomass. The relationships between microphytobenthos and sediment temperature and solar radiation fitted to linear regressions, and consistently showed an inverse relationship between microphytobenthic abundance and either one of the physical parameters. The granulometric analysis revealed a unimodal composition of muddy sediments, which were vertically and spatially homogeneous; additionally, there were significant seasonal differences in water content loss with drying conditions prevailing in the summer. Several Microbially-Induced Sedimentary Structures (MISS) were identified in the supratidal zone such as shrinkage cracks, erosional pockets, gas domes, photosynthetic domes, mat chips and sieve-like surfaces. In contrast to studies from analogous environments in the Northern Hemisphere, we found reduced microphytobenthic biomass in summer, which were explained by increased evaporation/desiccation rates as a consequence of increased radiation, despite frequent tidal inundation. In conclusion, the observed density shifts in the benthic microbial communities are attributable to physical forcings dependent upon seasonal variations in interplaying factors such as sediment temperature, solar radiation and tidal inundation.

show abstract

Structure and development of a benthic marine microbial mat

Cited by 223 publications

References 37 publications

Millimeter-scale patterns of phylogenetic and trait diversity in a salt marsh microbial mat

Millimeter-scale patterns of phylogenetic and trait diversity in a salt marsh microbial mat

The Role of the Substrate on the Mineralization Potential of Microbial Mats in A Modern Freshwater River (Paris Basin, France)

Interaction between Estuarine Microphytobenthos and Physical Forcings: The Role of Atmospheric and Sedimentary Factors

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About