| 1. |
- Bengtson, Stefan, 1947-, et al.
(författare)
-
Deep-biosphere consortium of fungi and prokaryotes in Eocene sub-seafloor basalts.
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Geobiology. - : Wiley. - 1472-4677 .- 1472-4669. ; 12:6, s. 489-496
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The deep biosphere of the subseafloor crust is believed to contain a significant part of Earth’s biomass, but because of the difficulties of directly observing the living organisms, its composition and ecology are poorly known. We report here a consortium of fossilized prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms, occupying cavities in deep-drilled vesicular basalt from the Emperor Seamounts, Pacific Ocean, 67.5 meters below seafloor (mbsf). Fungal hyphae provide the framework on which prokaryote-like organisms are suspended like cobwebs and iron-oxidizing bacteria form microstromatolites (Frutexites). The spatial interrelationships show that the organisms were living at the same time in an integrated fashion, suggesting symbiotic interdependence. The community is contemporaneous with secondary mineralizations of calcite partly filling the cavities. The fungal hyphae frequently extend into the calcite, indicating that they were able to bore into the substrate through mineral dissolution. A symbiotic relationship with chemoautotrophs, as inferred for the observed consortium, may be a prerequisite for the eukaryotic colonization of crustal rocks. Fossils thus open a window to the extant as well as the ancient deep biosphere.
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
- Bengtson, Stefan, 1947-, et al.
(författare)
-
Fungus-like mycelial fossils in 2.4-billion-year-old vesicular basalt.
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Nature Ecology & Evolution. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-334X. ; 1:6, s. 1-6
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fungi have recently been found to comprise a significant part of the deep biosphere in oceanic sediments and crustal rocks. Fossils occupying fractures and pores in Phanerozoic volcanics indicate that this habitat is at least 400 million years old, but its origin may be considerably older. A 2.4-billion-year-old basalt from the Palaeoproterozoic Ongeluk Formation in South Africa contains filamentous fossils in vesicles and fractures. The filaments form mycelium-like structures growing from a basal film attached to the internal rock surfaces. Filaments branch and anastomose, touch and entangle each other. They are indistinguishable from mycelial fossils found in similar deep-biosphere habitats in the Phanerozoic, where they are attributed to fungi on the basis of chemical and morphological similarities to living fungi. The Ongeluk fossils, however, are two to three times older than current age estimates of the fungal clade. Unless they represent an unknown branch of fungus-like organisms, the fossils imply that the fungal clade is considerably older than previously thought, and that fungal origin and early evolution may lie in the oceanic deep biosphere rather than on land. The Ongeluk discovery suggests that life has inhabited submarine volcanics for more than 2.4 billion years.
|
|
| 4. |
- Callac, Nolwenn, et al.
(författare)
-
Modes of carbon fixation in an arsenic and CO2-rich shallow hydrothermal ecosystem
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The seafloor sediments of Spathi Bay, Milos Island, Greece, are part of the largest arsenic-CO2-rich shallow submarine hydrothermal ecosystem on Earth. Here, white and brown deposits cap chemically distinct sediments with varying hydrothermal influence. All sediments contain abundant genes for autotrophic carbon fixation used in the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) and reverse tricaboxylic acid (rTCA) cycles. Both forms of RuBisCO, together with ATP citrate lyase genes in the rTCA cycle, increase with distance from the active hydrothermal centres and decrease with sediment depth. Clustering of RuBisCO Form II with a highly prevalent Zetaproteobacteria 16S rRNA gene density infers that iron-oxidizing bacteria contribute significantly to the sediment CBB cycle gene content. Three clusters form from different microbial guilds, each one encompassing one gene involved in CO2 fixation, aside from sulfate reduction. Our study suggests that the microbially mediated CBB cycle drives carbon fixation in the Spathi Bay sediments that are characterized by diffuse hydrothermal activity, high CO2, As emissions and chemically reduced fluids. This study highlights the breadth of conditions influencing the biogeochemistry in shallow CO2-rich hydrothermal systems and the importance of coupling highly specific process indicators to elucidate the complexity of carbon cycling in these ecosystems.
|
|
| 5. |
- Carlsson, Diana, et al.
(författare)
-
Fossilized endolithic microorganisms in pillowlavas from the Troodos ophiolite, Cyprus
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Geosciences. - Basel : MDPI. - 2076-3263. ; 9:11
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The last decade has revealed the igneous oceanic crust to host a more abundant and diverse biota than previously expected. These underexplored rock-hosted deep ecosystems dominated Earth’s biosphere prior to plants colonized land in the Ordovician, thus the fossil record of deep endoliths holds invaluable clues to early life and the work to decrypt them needs to be intensified. Here, we present fossilized microorganisms found in open and sealed pore spaces in pillow lavas from the Troodos Ophiolite (91 Ma) on Cyprus. A fungal interpretation is inferred upon the microorganisms based on characteristic morphological features. Geochemical conditions are reconstructed using data from mineralogy, fluid inclusions and the fossils themselves. Mineralogy indicates at least three hydrothermal events and a continuous increase of temperature and pH. Precipitation of 1) celadonite and saponite together with the microbial introduction was followed by 2) Na and Ca zeolites resulting in clay adherence on the microorganisms as protection, and finally 3) Ca carbonates resulted in final fossilization and preservation of the organisms in-situ. Deciphering the fossil record of the deep subseafloor biosphere is a challenging task, but when successful, can unlock doors to life’s cryptic past.
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
| 8. |
- Chi Fru, Ernest, et al.
(författare)
-
Fossilized iron bacteria reveal pathway to biological origin of banded iron formation.
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 4:2050, s. 1-7
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Debates on the formation of banded iron formations in ancient ferruginous oceans are dominated by a dichotomy between abiotic and biotic iron cycling. This is fuelled by difficulties in unravelling the exact processes involved in their formation. Here we provide fossil environmental evidence for anoxygenic photoferrotrophic deposition of analogue banded iron rocks in shallow marine waters associated with an Early Quaternary hydrothermal vent field on Milos Island, Greece. Trace metal, major and rare earth elemental compositions suggest that the deposited rocks closely resemble banded iron formations of Precambrian origin. Well-preserved microbial fossils in combination with chemical data imply that band formation was linked to periodic massive encrustation of anoxygenic phototrophic biofilms by iron oxyhydroxide alternating with abiotic silica precipitation. The data implicate cyclic anoxygenic photoferrotrophy and their fossilization mechanisms in the construction of microskeletal fabrics that result in the formation of characteristic banded iron formation bands of varying silica and iron oxide ratios.
|
|
| 9. |
- Chi Fru, Ernest, et al.
(författare)
-
Sedimentary mechanisms of a modern banded iron formation on MIlos Island, Greece
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Solid Earth. - : European Geosciences Union (EGU). - 1869-9510 .- 1869-9529. ; 9, s. 573-598
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An early Quaternary shallow submarine hydrothermal iron formation (IF) in the Cape Vani sedimentary basin (CVSB) on Milos Island, Greece, displays banded rhythmicity similar to Precambrian banded iron formation (BIF). Field-wide stratigraphic and biogeochemical reconstructions show two temporal and spatially isolated iron deposits in the CVSB with distinct sedimentological character. Petrographic screening suggests the presence of a photoferrotrophic-like microfossil-rich IF (MFIF), accumulated on a basement consisting of andesites in a ∼ 150m wide basin in the SW margin of the basin. A banded nonfossiliferous IF (NFIF) sits on top of the Mn-rich sandstones at the transition to the renowned Mn-rich formation, capping the NFIF unit. Geochemical data relate the origin of the NFIF to periodic submarine volcanism and water column oxidation of released Fe(II) in conditions predominated by anoxia, similar to the MFIF. Raman spectroscopy pairs hematite-rich grains in the NFIF with relics of a carbonaceous material carrying an average δ13Corg signature of ∼ −25‰. A similar δ13Corg signature in the MFIF could not be directly coupled to hematite by mineralogy. The NFIF, which postdates large-scale Mn deposition in the CVSB, is composed primarily of amorphous Si (opal-SiO2 ⋅ nH2O) while crystalline quartz (SiO2) predominates the MFIF. An intricate interaction between tectonic processes, changing redox, biological activity, and abiotic Si precipitation are proposed to have collectively formed the unmetamorphosed BIF-type deposits in a shallow submarine volcanic center. Despite the differences in Precambrian ocean–atmosphere chemistry and the present geologic time, these formation mechanisms coincide with those believed to have formed Algoma-type BIFs proximal to active seafloor volcanic centers.
|
|
| 10. |
|
|
