Formation and diagenesis of modern marine calcified cyanobacteria

Planavsky, Noah J.; Reid, R. Pamela; Lyons, Timothy W.; Myshrall, K. L.; Visscher, Pieter T.

doi:10.1111/j.1472-4669.2009.00216.x

Cited by 72 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(153 reference statements)

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“…One striking observation is that aragonite appears recurrently associated with one predominant type of cyanobacteria having the typical morphology of Pleurocapsales (Figures 4-6 and Supplementary Figures S3, S4 and S5). So far, few studies have suggested that some species could be specifically associated with mineral precipitation within the complex diversity of a biofilm (for example, Planavsky et al, 2009, Couradeau et al, 2012. Here we show that a specific lineage of cyanobacteria can orient carbonate precipitation towards aragonite, whereas hydromagnesite precipitates elsewhere.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Specific carbonate–microbe interactions in the modern microbialites of Lake Alchichica (Mexico)

et al. 2013

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The role of microorganisms in microbialite formation remains unresolved: do they induce mineral precipitation (microbes first) or do they colonize and/or entrap abiotic mineral precipitates (minerals first)? Does this role vary from one species to another? And what is the impact of mineral precipitation on microbial ecology? To explore potential biogenic carbonate precipitation, we studied cyanobacteria–carbonate assemblages in modern hydromagnesite-dominated microbialites from the alkaline Lake Alchichica (Mexico), by coupling three-dimensional imaging of molecular fluorescence emitted by microorganisms, using confocal laser scanning microscopy, and Raman scattering/spectrometry from the associated minerals at a microscale level. Both hydromagnesite and aragonite precipitate within a complex biofilm composed of photosynthetic and other microorganisms. Morphology and pigment-content analysis of dominant photosynthetic microorganisms revealed up to six different cyanobacterial morphotypes belonging to Oscillatoriales, Chroococcales, Nostocales and Pleurocapsales, as well as several diatoms and other eukaryotic microalgae. Interestingly, one of these morphotypes, Pleurocapsa-like, appeared specifically associated with aragonite minerals, the oldest parts of actively growing Pleurocapsa-like colonies being always aragonite-encrusted. We hypothesize that actively growing cells of Pleurocapsales modify local environmental conditions favoring aragonite precipitation at the expense of hydromagnesite, which precipitates at seemingly random locations within the biofilm. Therefore, at least part of the mineral precipitation in Alchichica microbialites is most likely biogenic and the type of biominerals formed depends on the nature of the phylogenetic lineage involved. This observation may provide clues to identify lineage-specific biosignatures in fossil stromatolites from modern to Precambrian times.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Specific carbonate–microbe interactions in the modern microbialites of Lake Alchichica (Mexico)

et al. 2013

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“…This very much differs from modern marine stromatolites in the Bahamas in which cyanobacterial filaments are able to intertwine and incorporate detritus within their EPS to form a cohesive mat-like structure. There are several microbially mediated processes that can drive carbonate precipitation (e.g., Simkiss and Wilbur 1989;Riding 2006a;Planavsky et al 2009). Photosynthetic CO 2 uptake can locally cause an increase in pH and the carbonate anion (CO 3 22 ) concentration.…”

Section: Microbialite Composition and Texturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Morphologically, these ranged from domes and simple columns to elaborately branched and bulbous structures. There were two major and Heys (1985) first attributed the rise in their abundance to burrowing in preexisting stromatolites, while others proposed a switch in modes to benthic microbial communities mediating carbonate precipitation and early diagenetic modification (Shapiro 2000;Arp et al 2001;Planavsky et al 2009), and to the diversification and evolution of foraminifera (Bernhard et al 2013). Microbialites, in general, were gradually replaced by reefs constructed of crustose red algae, calcareous sponges, and/or coelenterates (Golubic 1994), yet there are marine settings and short time periods where abundant microbialites persisted throughout the Phanerozoic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Textural and Geochemical Features of Freshwater Microbialites From Laguna Bacalar, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Castro-Contreras¹,

Gingras²,

Peçoits³

et al. 2014

PALAIOS

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Microbialites provide some of the oldest direct evidence of life on Earth. They reached their peak during the Proterozoic and declined afterward. Their decline has been attributed to grazing and/or burrowing by metazoans, to changes in ocean chemistry, or to competition with other calcifying organisms.The freshwater microbialites at Laguna Bacalar (Mexico) provide an opportunity to better understand microbialite growth in terms of interaction between grazing organisms versus calcium carbonate precipitation. The Laguna Bacalar microbialites are described in terms of their distinct mesostructures. Stromatolites display internal lamination, attributed to the precipitation of calcite and the upward migration of cyanobacteria during periods of low sedimentation. Thrombolitic stromatolites show internal lamination in addition to internal clotting. The clotting is seen as a result of binding and/or trapping of micritic peloids by cyanobacteria and attributed to periods of high sedimentation. The carbonates in both microbialites had similar C-and Ostable-isotopic signatures, both enriched in 13 C relative to bivalves, suggesting photosynthetic CO 2 uptake was the trigger for carbonate precipitation. This implies that the rate of microbialite growth is largely a function of ambient carbonate saturation state, while the texture is especially dependent on accretion rates and sediment deposition on their surface. Importantly, the coexistence with grazing animals suggests no significant inhibition on microbialite growth, thereby calling into question the decline of microbialite as a result of metazoan evolution. Varying sedimentation rates are likely important in controlling the distribution of thrombolite-stromatolite packages in the geological record, given the importance of this factor at Bacalar.

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“…Cyanobacteria induced mineralization occurred in both ancient and modern environments (Brady et al, 2009;Planavsky et al, 2009;Raven and Giordano, 2009); cyanobacteria-dominated carbonate formation occurred in oceans, lakes, springs, and soils during the Precambrian (Riding, 2000), whilst modern cyanobacteria-dominated carbonate formation occurs in highly alkaline aquatic environments (Thompson and Ferris, 1990;Braithwaite and Zedef, 1994;Dupraz et al, 2009;Power et al, 2009). Locations where modern cyanobacteria-dominated magnesium carbonate formation occurs include Lake Salda in Turkey, which is fed by ultramafic rock weathering products (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnesium isotope fractionation during hydrous magnesium carbonate precipitation with and without cyanobacteria

Mavromatis

Pearce

Shirokova

et al. 2012

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta

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How to cite:Mavromatis, Vasileios; Pearce, Christopher R.; Shirokova, Liudmila S.; Bundeleva, Irina A.; Pokrovsky, Oleg S.; Benezeth, Pascale and Oelkers, Eric H. (2012) AbstractThe hydrous magnesium carbonates, nesquehonite (MgCO 3 Á3H 2 O) and dypingite (Mg 5 (CO 3 ) 4 (OH) 2 Á5(H 2 O)), were precipitated at 25°C in batch reactors from aqueous solutions containing 0.05 M NaHCO 3 and 0.025 M MgCl 2 and in the presence and absence of live photosynthesizing Gloeocapsa sp. cyanobacteria. Experiments were performed under a variety of conditions; the reactive fluid/bacteria/mineral suspensions were continuously stirred, and/or air bubbled in most experiments, and exposed to various durations of light exposure. Bulk precipitation rates are not affected by the presence of bacteria although the solution pH and the degree of fluid supersaturation with respect to magnesium carbonates increase due to photosynthesis. Lighter Mg isotopes are preferentially incorporated into the precipitated solids in all experiments. Mg isotope fractionation between the mineral and fluid in the abiotic experiments is identical, within uncertainty, to that measured in cyanobacteriabearing experiments; measured d 26 Mg ranges from À1.54& to À1.16& in all experiments. Mg isotope fractionation is also found to be independent of reactive solution pH and Mg, CO 3 2À , and biomass concentrations. Taken together, these observations suggest that Gloeocapsa sp. cyanobacterium does not appreciably affect magnesium isotope fractionation between aqueous fluid and hydrous magnesium carbonates.

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Formation and diagenesis of modern marine calcified cyanobacteria

Cited by 72 publications

References 49 publications

Specific carbonate–microbe interactions in the modern microbialites of Lake Alchichica (Mexico)

Specific carbonate–microbe interactions in the modern microbialites of Lake Alchichica (Mexico)

Textural and Geochemical Features of Freshwater Microbialites From Laguna Bacalar, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Magnesium isotope fractionation during hydrous magnesium carbonate precipitation with and without cyanobacteria

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