Life Underground: Investigating Microbial Communities and Their Biomarkers in Mars‐Analog Lava Tubes at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

Weng, M. M.; Zaikova, Elena; Williams, Amy J.; McAdam, A. C.; Knudson, C. A.; Fuqua, S.R.; Wagner, Nicole Yasmin; Craft, Kathleen L.; Nawotniak, Shannon Kobs; Shields, Adrian; Bevilacqua, J. G.; Bai, Yu; Hughes, S. S.; Garry, W. B.; Heldmann, J. L.; Lim, D. S. S.; Buckner, D.; Gant, P.; Johnson, S. S.

doi:10.1029/2022je007268

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 126 publications

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“…Nitrosococcales lineage wb1‐P19 (OTU 4), seen in over half of GA samples, was initially characterized as a possible chemolithotroph (Holmes et al., 2001) and has been since been described by others as having N cycling roles (Martin‐Pozas et al., 2022). wb1‐P19 has been identified in diverse cave types, including Weebubbie Cave in Australia (Holmes et al., 2001), a hypogene SAS cave in Italy (Jurado et al., 2020), and even volcanic caves (Weng et al., 2022). Top BLAST matches to the representative sequence of OTU 4 include several cave‐related sequences such as moonmilk from a limestone cave, cave biofilms, and microbial mats from lava tubes (accession numbers LT798869.1, HE602908.1, LR130706.1, OK182161.1, and KC331752.1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Origin and modern microbial ecology of secondary mineral deposits in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA

Havlena,

Hose,

DuChene

et al. 2024

Geobiology

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Lehman Caves is an extensively decorated high desert cave that represents one of the main tourist attractions in Great Basin National Park, Nevada. Although traditionally considered a water table cave, recent studies identified abundant speleogenetic features consistent with a hypogenic and, potentially, sulfuric acid origin. Here, we characterized white mineral deposits in the Gypsum Annex (GA) passage to determine whether these secondary deposits represent biogenic minerals formed during sulfuric acid corrosion and explored microbial communities associated with these and other mineral deposits throughout the cave. Powder X‐ray diffraction (pXRD), scanning electron microscopy with electron dispersive spectroscopy (SEM‐EDS), and electron microprobe analyses (EPMA) showed that, while most white mineral deposits from the GA contain gypsum, they also contain abundant calcite, silica, and other phases. Gypsum and carbonate‐associated sulfate isotopic values of these deposits are variable, with δ34SV‐CDT between +9.7‰ and +26.1‰, and do not reflect depleted values typically associated with replacement gypsum formed during sulfuric acid speleogenesis. Petrographic observations show that the sulfates likely co‐precipitated with carbonate and SiO2 phases. Taken together, these data suggest that the deposits resulted from later‐stage meteoric events and not during an initial episode of sulfuric acid speleogenesis. Most sedimentary and mineral deposits in Lehman Caves have very low microbial biomass, with the exception of select areas along the main tour route that have been impacted by tourist traffic. High‐throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed that microbial communities in GA sediments are distinct from those in other parts of the cave. The microbial communities that inhabit these oligotrophic secondary mineral deposits include OTUs related to known ammonia‐oxidizing Nitrosococcales and Thaumarchaeota, as well as common soil taxa such as Acidobacteriota and Proteobacteria. This study reveals microbial and mineralogical diversity in a previously understudied cave and expands our understanding of the geomicrobiology of desert hypogene cave systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…LGA19_14BB Cave in Australia (Holmes et al, 2001), a hypogene SAS cave in Italy (Jurado et al, 2020), and even volcanic caves (Weng et al, 2022).…”

Section: Mineral-associated Microbial Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Origin and modern microbial ecology of secondary mineral deposits in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA

Havlena,

Hose,

DuChene

et al. 2024

Geobiology

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“…Nitrosococcales lineage wb1-P19 (OTU 4), seen in over half of GA samples, was initially characterized as a possible chemolithotroph (Holmes, 2001) and has been since been described by others as having N cycling roles (Martin-Pozas et al, 2022). wb1-P19 has been identified in diverse cave types, including Weebubbie Cave in Australia (Holmes et al, 2001), a hypogene SAS cave in Italy (Jurado et al, 2020), and even volcanic caves (Weng et al, 2022). Top BLAST matches to the representative sequence of OTU 4 include several cave related sequences such as moonmilk from a limestone cave, cave biofilms, and microbial mats from lava tubes (accession numbers LT798869.1, HE602908.1, LR130706.1, OK182161.1, and KC331752.1).…”

Section: Mineral-associated Microbial Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Origin and modern microbial ecology of secondary mineral deposits in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA

Havlena,

Hose,

DuChene

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Lehman Caves is an extensively decorated, high desert cave that represents one of the main tourist attractions in Great Basin National Park, Nevada. Although traditionally considered a water table cave, recent studies identified abundant speleogenetic features consistent with a hypogenic and, potentially, sulfuric acid origin. Here, we characterized white mineral deposits in the Gypsum Annex (GA) passage to determine whether these secondary deposits represent biogenic minerals formed during sulfuric acid corrosion, and explored microbial communities associated with these and other mineral deposits throughout the cave. Powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD), scanning electron microscopy with electron dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and electron microprobe analyses (EPMA) showed that, while most white mineral deposits from the GA contain gypsum, they also contain abundant calcite, silica, and other phases. Gypsum and carbonate-associated sulfate isotopic values of these deposits are variable, with δ34SV-CDTbetween +9.7‰ and +26.1‰, and do not reflect depleted values typically associated with replacement gypsum formed during sulfuric acid speleogenesis. Petrographic observations show that the sulfates likely co-precipitated with carbonate and SiO2phases. Taken together, these data suggest that the deposits resulted from later stage meteoric events and not during an initial episode of sulfuric acid speleogenesis. Most sedimentary and mineral deposits in Lehman Caves have very low microbial biomass, with the exception of select areas along the main tour route that have been impacted by tourist traffic. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed that microbial communities in GA sediments are distinct from those in other parts of the cave. The microbial communities that inhabit these oligotrophic secondary mineral deposits include OTUs related to known ammonia-oxidizing Nitrosococcales and Thaumarchaeota, as well as common soil taxa such as Acidobacteriota and Proteobacteria. This study reveals microbial and mineralogical diversity in a previously understudied cave and expands our understanding of the geomicrobiology of arid, hypogene cave systems.

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“…Riquelme et al [19] recovered representatives of Euzebyales from colored microbial mats found in volcanic caves in the Azores, Hawai'i, and New Mexico, and stated that the different clades obtained suggested a significant diversity within the sequences found. Other papers reported Euzebya sequences from caves in different geographical regions [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] (Table 1).…”

Section: Metagenomic Detection Of Euzebya In the Environment: Cavesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The advent of molecular tools, particularly next-generation sequencing (NGS), has dramatically changed the knowledge of the diversity of microbial life on Earth. In recent decades, many studies on different terrestrial environments, including caves [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36], have described the diversity and abundance of Euzebyales/Euzebyaceae/Euzebya; however, as far as we know, no Euzebya isolates have been obtained from terrestrial niches. This prompted us to review the habitats where Euzebya sequences were found and their ecological requirements in order to understand the failures in the adoption of isolation protocols that led to the lack of terrestrial isolates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Marine Bacterial Genus Euzebya Is Distributed Worldwide in Terrestrial Environments: A Review

Gonzalez-Pimentel,

Martin-Pozas,

Jurado

et al. 2023

Applied Sciences

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The advent of molecular tools, and particularly next-generation sequencing, has dramatically changed our knowledge of the diversity of microbial life on Earth. In recent decades, many studies on different terrestrial environments have described the intriguing diversity and abundance of Euzebyales/Euzebyaceae/Euzebya, yet its role in the geochemical cycle of elements is unknown. In addition, as far as we know, no Euzebya isolates have been obtained from terrestrial niches. In this review, it is shown that Euzebya and other haloalkaliphilic bacteria can thrive under harsh conditions, such as high concentrations of sodium and/or calcium, high electric conductivity and alkaline pH, highly variable temperatures, and water fluctuations. These conditions are quasi-extreme in the studied terrestrial environments. However, the culture media used so far for isolation have failed to reproduce the original conditions of these terrestrial ecosystems, and this is likely the reason why strains of Euzebya and other bacteria that inhabit the same niche could not be isolated. It is expected that culture media reproducing the environmental conditions outlined in this review could cope with the isolation of terrestrial Euzebya and other haloalkaliphilic genera.

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Life Underground: Investigating Microbial Communities and Their Biomarkers in Mars‐Analog Lava Tubes at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

Cited by 8 publications

References 126 publications

Origin and modern microbial ecology of secondary mineral deposits in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA

Origin and modern microbial ecology of secondary mineral deposits in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA

Origin and modern microbial ecology of secondary mineral deposits in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA

The Marine Bacterial Genus Euzebya Is Distributed Worldwide in Terrestrial Environments: A Review

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