Environmental controls on microbial community cycling in modern marine stromatolites

Bowlin, Emily; Klaus, James S.; Foster, Jamie S.; Andres, Miriam S.; Custals, Lillian; Reid, R. Pamela

doi:10.1016/j.sedgeo.2011.08.002

Cited by 50 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Additional changes, such as temperature flux, are also important variables in understanding the response of carbonate-depositing microbial ecosystems to climate change [88]. Recent studies have shown that temperature is an important selection factor with regard to the type of surface community on open marine stromatolites [30]. Although temperature flux was beyond the scope of this pilot experiment, future studies can examine the synergistic effects that temperature, CO 2 and pH can play on the formation and development of these lithifying mat communities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The microbialite slurries were maintained for 12 months under ambient conditions (28 °C; 35‰ artificial seawater (Instant Ocean, Mentor, OH, USA); 400 parts per million per volume (ppmv) CO 2 under a light regime of 500 μE/m 2 /s on a 12 h light/dark cycle) to promote re-layering and mineralization [28]. Sterilized ooids were added monthly to a depth of 1 mm to mimic the burial events experienced by natural stromatolitic mats [29,30]. At the end of the cultivation period one of the replicate microbialites was sacrificed to ensure that the layered morphology and lithification previously described [21] were present ( Figure 1A,B) and the remaining microbialites were transferred to individualized growth chambers (as described below).…”

Section: Lithifying Microbial Mat Cultivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Elevated Carbon Dioxide and Salinity on the Microbial Diversity in Lithifying Microbial Mats

et al. 2014

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Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) are rising at an accelerated rate resulting in changes in the pH and carbonate chemistry of the world's oceans. However, there is uncertainty regarding the impact these changing environmental conditions have on carbonate-depositing microbial communities. Here, we examine the effects of elevated CO 2 , three times that of current atmospheric levels, on the microbial diversity associated with lithifying microbial mats. Lithifying microbial mats are complex ecosystems that facilitate the trapping and binding of sediments, and/or the precipitation of calcium carbonate into organosedimentary structures known as microbialites. To examine the impact of rising CO 2 and resulting shifts in pH on lithifying microbial mats, we constructed growth chambers that could continually manipulate and monitor the mat environment. The microbial diversity of the various treatments was compared using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. The results indicated that elevated CO 2 levels during the six month exposure did not profoundly alter the microbial diversity, community structure, or carbonate precipitation in the microbial mats; however some key taxa, such as the sulfate-reducing bacteria Deltasulfobacterales, were enriched. These results suggest that some carbonate depositing ecosystems, such as the microbialites, may be more resilient to anthropogenic-induced environmental change than previously thought. OPEN ACCESSMinerals 2014, 4 146

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Lithifying Microbial Mat Cultivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Elevated Carbon Dioxide and Salinity on the Microbial Diversity in Lithifying Microbial Mats

et al. 2014

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“…Some foraminiferal reticulopods have high tensile strength that facilitates rending of prey (27); such strength would anchor individuals during extreme hydrodynamic conditions that are typical for this site (28,29), perhaps minimizing microbialite scour (Fig. 1C).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into foraminiferal influences on microfabrics of microbialites at Highborne Cay, Bahamas

Bernhard

Edgcomb

Visscher

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Microbialites, which are organosedimentary structures formed by microbial communities through binding and trapping and/or in situ precipitation, have a wide array of distinctive morphologies and long geologic record. The origin of morphological variability is hotly debated; elucidating the cause or causes of microfabric differences could provide insights into ecosystem functioning and biogeochemistry during much of Earth's history. Although rare today, morphologically distinct, co-occurring extant microbialites provide the opportunity to examine and compare microbial communities that may be responsible for establishing and modifying microbialite microfabrics. Highborne Cay, Bahamas, has extant laminated (i.e., stromatolites) and clotted (i.e., thrombolites) marine microbialites in close proximity, allowing focused questions about how community composition relates to physical attributes. Considerable knowledge exists about prokaryotic composition of microbialite mats (i.e., stromatolitic and thrombolitic mats), but little is known about their eukaryotic communities, especially regarding heterotrophic taxa. Thus, the heterotrophic eukaryotic communities of Highborne stromatolites and thrombolites were studied. Here, we show that diverse foraminiferal communities inhabit microbialite mat surfaces and subsurfaces; thecate foraminifera are relatively abundant in all microbialite types, especially thrombolitic mats; foraminifera stabilize grains in mats; and thecate reticulopod activities can impact stromatolitic mat lamination. Accordingly, and in light of foraminiferal impacts on modern microbialites, our results indicate that the microbialite fossil record may reflect the impact of the radiation of these protists.Neoproterozoic | geobiology | sedimentology | ooid

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“…Although there will still be some element of subsurface signal because of the 3-D structure of the phototrophic layers within the sample, this error will be greatly reduced in comparison with measurements taken directly above the natural surface in which cell positions are unknown and the light levels apply only to the stromatolite surface. In addition, we also tested the hypothesis that productivity would differ between stromatolite mat types defined within the 'quasi-succession' reported in literature Stolz et al, 2009;Bowlin et al, 2011). The resultant data are therefore a far more accurate comparative measurement of community productivity than in previous work.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…All samples collected were analysed for community type, sub-community type and dominant taxa (Table 1) reported in the concomitant studies by Stolz et al (2009) and Bowlin et al (2011). The same nomenclature was used to describe communities and sub-communities of both procaryotes and eucaryotes and the same taxa are reported as dominant in these groupings.…”

Section: Community Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Modern stromatolite phototrophic communities: a comparative study of procaryote and eucaryote phototrophs using variable chlorophyll fluorescence

Perkins

Mouget

Kromkamp

et al. 2012

FEMS Microbiol Ecol

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Stromatolites are laminated organosedimentary structures formed by microbial communities, principally cyanobacteria although eucaryote phototrophs may also be involved in the construction of modern stromatolites. In this study, productivity and photophysiology of communities from stromatolites (laminated) and thrombolites (nonlaminated) were analysed using fluorescence imaging. Sub-samples of mats were excised at Highborne Cay, Bahamas, and cross-sectioned to simultaneously analyse surface, near-surface (1-2 mm), and deeper (2-10 mm) communities. Rapid light curve parameters and nonphotochemical downregulation showed distinct differences between phototroph communities, consistent with the reported quasi-succession of classic stromatolite mat types. Greater productivity was shown by cyanobacteria in Type 1 and Type 3 mats (first and final stage of the succession, Schizothrix gebeleinii and Solentia sp. respectively) and lower productivity within Type 2 mats (intermediate mat type). Eucaryote mat types, dominated by stalked (Striatella sp. and Licmophora sp.) and tube-dwelling (e.g. Nitzschia and Navicula spp.) diatoms, showed greater productivity than cyanobacteria communities, with the exception of Striatella (low productivity) and an unidentified coccoid cyanobacterium (high productivity). Findings indicate comparative variability between photosynthetically active procaryote and eucaryote sub-communities within stromatolites, with a pattern logically following the succession of 'classic' mat types, and lower than the productivity of eucaryote dominated 'nonclassic' mat types.

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Environmental controls on microbial community cycling in modern marine stromatolites

Cited by 50 publications

References 25 publications

Effects of Elevated Carbon Dioxide and Salinity on the Microbial Diversity in Lithifying Microbial Mats

Effects of Elevated Carbon Dioxide and Salinity on the Microbial Diversity in Lithifying Microbial Mats

Insights into foraminiferal influences on microfabrics of microbialites at Highborne Cay, Bahamas

Modern stromatolite phototrophic communities: a comparative study of procaryote and eucaryote phototrophs using variable chlorophyll fluorescence

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