Bacterial Calcium Carbonate Precipitation in Cave Environments: A Function of Calcium Homeostasis

Banks, Eric D.; Taylor, Nicholas M.; Gulley, Jason; Lubbers, Brad; Giarrizzo, Juan G.; Bullen, Heather A.; Hoehler, Tori M.; Barton, Hazel A.

doi:10.1080/01490450903485136

Cited by 134 publications

(137 citation statements)

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“…We hypothesize that the exceedingly high calcium concentrations in cave drip water (Legatzki et al, 2012) are the source of stress. Research in carbonate caves indicates that cave bacteria precipitate calcium carbonate as a mechanism to overcome calcium toxicity (Banks et al, 2010). Similarly, previous work has linked high levels of calcium ions in eukaryotic cells with DNA strand breakage (Cantoni et al, 1989).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The latter application is particularly relevant to the widespread study of the isotopic composition of speleothems for reconstruction of recent (Quaternary) climate change (Wang et al, 2005). Microbial contributions to speleothem isotopic signatures are not well understood, however, research indicates that microbial activity enhances calcium carbonate precipitation ; reviewed by Barton and Northup, 2007;Banks et al, 2010), and that carbon isotope fractionation rates vary with different microbial CO 2 -fixation pathways (reviewed by Berg et al, 2010). Research characterizing the functional profiles of speleothem microbial communities will enhance our understanding of the metabolic potential and energy dynamics of oligotrophic karst environments and provide critical information for applications such as the analysis of speleothem isotopic signatures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Making a living while starving in the dark: metagenomic insights into the energy dynamics of a carbonate cave

et al. 2013

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Carbonate caves represent subterranean ecosystems that are largely devoid of phototrophic primary production. In semiarid and arid regions, allochthonous organic carbon inputs entering caves with vadose-zone drip water are minimal, creating highly oligotrophic conditions; however, past research indicates that carbonate speleothem surfaces in these caves support diverse, predominantly heterotrophic prokaryotic communities. The current study applied a metagenomic approach to elucidate the community structure and potential energy dynamics of microbial communities, colonizing speleothem surfaces in Kartchner Caverns, a carbonate cave in semiarid, southeastern Arizona, USA. Manual inspection of a speleothem metagenome revealed a community genetically adapted to low-nutrient conditions with indications that a nitrogen-based primary production strategy is probable, including contributions from both Archaea and Bacteria. Genes for all six known CO 2 -fixation pathways were detected in the metagenome and RuBisCo genes representative of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle were over-represented in Kartchner speleothem metagenomes relative to bulk soil, rhizosphere soil and deep-ocean communities. Intriguingly, quantitative PCR found Archaea to be significantly more abundant in the cave communities than in soils above the cave. MEtaGenome ANalyzer (MEGAN) analysis of speleothem metagenome sequence reads found Thaumarchaeota to be the third most abundant phylum in the community, and identified taxonomic associations to this phylum for indicator genes representative of multiple CO 2 -fixation pathways. The results revealed that this oligotrophic subterranean environment supports a unique chemoautotrophic microbial community with potentially novel nutrient cycling strategies. These strategies may provide key insights into other ecosystems dominated by oligotrophy, including aphotic subsurface soils or aquifers and photic systems such as arid deserts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making a living while starving in the dark: metagenomic insights into the energy dynamics of a carbonate cave

et al. 2013

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“…Research on the role of microbial species in the development of secondary carbonate deposits in caves is still going on. Irrespective of the pathway, bacterial metabolic activity in these environments appears to lead to the precipitation of various polymorphs of CaCO 3 , suggesting that bacterial metabolism plays a dominant role in calcification processes (Banks et al, 2010). Bacteria may also act as highly reactive geochemical interfaces, and their extracellular polymers are especially effective at binding ions from solution and serving as nucleation surfaces for mineral formation (Merz, 1992).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Culturable bacteria associated with the caves of Meghalaya in India contribute to speleogenesis

Banerjee¹,

Joshi²

2016

JCKS

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The caves of Meghalaya in India are some of the longest caves in the subcontinent that have so far received negligible attention of geomicrobiologists. The present work was undertaken to discover and explore bacterial biofilms of various textures and colors from five caves of Meghalaya in North-East India. There are no previous specific scientific investigations from three of the studied caves. Thirty-two different culturable bacterial species belonging to sixteen different genera were characterized. Based on molecular identification, the isolates were related to nearest taxa, with the majority belonging to Bacillus and Pseudomonas. The study also indicated the capabilities of the isolated microbial strains to precipitate calcite, providing evidence for biotic processes involved in the formation of natural speleothems. SEM studies revealed an array of crystal polymorphs generated in vitro by the isolated bacteria similar to the microscopic observations of speleothems. The EDX spectrum showed that the precipitated crystals were predominately composed of calcium carbonate. The results endorse the hypothesis that the isolated chemoheterotrophic bacterial species contribute to the process of cave-speleothem formation in a hypogean environment.

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“…However, when grown under high PCO 2 and supplemented with 1 mM of acetazolamide, CG-1 showed no change in growth, suggesting either this organism's form of carbonic anhydrase is resistant to acetazolamide or that this organism contains another method for CO 2 utilization not yet previously described. Some other possible enzymes that may aid in CO 2 survival are phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase, both enzymes previously described for metabolite synthesis in bacteria (Arioli et al, 2009;Banks et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolation and characterization of a CO2-tolerant Lactobacillus strain from Crystal Geyser, Utah, U.S.A.

et al. 2015

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When CO 2 is sequestered into the deep subsurface, changes to the subsurface microbial community will occur. Capnophiles, microorganisms that grow in CO 2 -rich environments, are some organisms that may be selected for under the new environmental conditions. To determine whether capnophiles comprise an important part of CO 2 -rich environments, an isolate from Crystal Geyser, Utah, U.S.A., a CO 2 -rich spring considered a carbon sequestration analog, was characterized. The isolate was cultured under varying CO 2 , pH, salinity, and temperature, as well as different carbon substrates and terminal electron acceptors (TEAs) to elucidate growth conditions and metabolic activity. Designated CG-1, the isolate is related (99%) to Lactobacillus casei in 16S rRNA gene identity, growing at PCO 2 between 0 and 1.0 MPa. Growth is inhibited at 2.5 MPa, but stationary phase cultures exposed to this pressure survive beyond 5 days. At 5.0 MPa, survival is at least 24 h. CG-1 grows in neutral pH, 0.25 M NaCl, and between 25 • and 45 • C and consumes glucose, lactose, sucrose, or crude oil, likely performing lactic acid fermentation. Fatty acid profiles between 0.1 and 1.0 MPa suggests decreases in cell size and increases in membrane rigidity. Transmission electron microscopy reveals rod shaped bacteria at 0.1 MPa. At 1.0 MPa, cells are smaller, amorphous, and produce abundant capsular material. Its ability to grow in environments regardless of the presence of CO 2 suggests we have isolated an organism that is more capnotolerant than capnophilic. Results also show that microorganisms are capable of surviving the stressful conditions created by the introduction of CO 2 for sequestration. Furthermore, our ability to culture an environmental isolate indicates that organisms found in CO 2 environments from previous genomic and metagenomics studies are viable, metabolizing, and potentially affecting the surrounding environment.

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Bacterial Calcium Carbonate Precipitation in Cave Environments: A Function of Calcium Homeostasis

Cited by 134 publications

References 40 publications

Making a living while starving in the dark: metagenomic insights into the energy dynamics of a carbonate cave

Making a living while starving in the dark: metagenomic insights into the energy dynamics of a carbonate cave

Culturable bacteria associated with the caves of Meghalaya in India contribute to speleogenesis

Isolation and characterization of a CO2-tolerant Lactobacillus strain from Crystal Geyser, Utah, U.S.A.

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