Microstructural Characterization of Cyanobacterial Mats from the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica

ABSTRACT The three-dimensional structures of two types of cyanobacterium-dominated microbial mats from meltwater ponds on the McMurdo Ice Shelf were as determined by using a broad suite of complementary techniques, including optical and fluorescence microscopy, confocal scanning laser microscopy, sc...

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Published in:Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Main Authors: de los Ríos, Asunción, Ascaso, Carmen, Wierzchos, Jacek, Fernández-Valiente, Eduardo, Quesada, Antonio
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Society for Microbiology 2004
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.70.1.569-580.2004
https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/AEM.70.1.569-580.2004
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spelling crasmicro:10.1128/aem.70.1.569-580.2004 2024-06-23T07:47:26+00:00 Microstructural Characterization of Cyanobacterial Mats from the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica de los Ríos, Asunción Ascaso, Carmen Wierzchos, Jacek Fernández-Valiente, Eduardo Quesada, Antonio 2004 http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.70.1.569-580.2004 https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/AEM.70.1.569-580.2004 en eng American Society for Microbiology https://journals.asm.org/non-commercial-tdm-license Applied and Environmental Microbiology volume 70, issue 1, page 569-580 ISSN 0099-2240 1098-5336 journal-article 2004 crasmicro https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.70.1.569-580.2004 2024-06-10T04:07:21Z ABSTRACT The three-dimensional structures of two types of cyanobacterium-dominated microbial mats from meltwater ponds on the McMurdo Ice Shelf were as determined by using a broad suite of complementary techniques, including optical and fluorescence microscopy, confocal scanning laser microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with back-scattered electron-imaging mode, low-temperature scanning electron microscopy, and microanalyitical X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. By using a combination of the different in situ microscopic techniques, the Antarctic microbial mats were found to be structures with vertical stratification of groups of cyanobacteria and mineral sediments, high contents of extracellular polymeric substances, and large void spaces occupied by water. In cyanobacterium-rich layers, heterocystous nostocalean and nonheterocystous oscillatorialean taxa were the most abundant taxa and appeared to be intermixed with fine-size deposits of epicellular silica and calcium carbonate. Most of the cyanobacterial filaments had similar orientations in zones without sediment particles, but thin filaments were tangled among thicker filaments. The combination of the microscopic techniques used showed the relative positions of biological and mineral entities within the microbial mats and enabled some speculation about their interactions. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Shelf McMurdo Ice Shelf ASM Journals (American Society for Microbiology) Antarctic McMurdo Ice Shelf ENVELOPE(166.500,166.500,-78.000,-78.000) The Antarctic Applied and Environmental Microbiology 70 1 569 580
institution Open Polar
collection ASM Journals (American Society for Microbiology)
op_collection_id crasmicro
language English
description ABSTRACT The three-dimensional structures of two types of cyanobacterium-dominated microbial mats from meltwater ponds on the McMurdo Ice Shelf were as determined by using a broad suite of complementary techniques, including optical and fluorescence microscopy, confocal scanning laser microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with back-scattered electron-imaging mode, low-temperature scanning electron microscopy, and microanalyitical X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. By using a combination of the different in situ microscopic techniques, the Antarctic microbial mats were found to be structures with vertical stratification of groups of cyanobacteria and mineral sediments, high contents of extracellular polymeric substances, and large void spaces occupied by water. In cyanobacterium-rich layers, heterocystous nostocalean and nonheterocystous oscillatorialean taxa were the most abundant taxa and appeared to be intermixed with fine-size deposits of epicellular silica and calcium carbonate. Most of the cyanobacterial filaments had similar orientations in zones without sediment particles, but thin filaments were tangled among thicker filaments. The combination of the microscopic techniques used showed the relative positions of biological and mineral entities within the microbial mats and enabled some speculation about their interactions.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author de los Ríos, Asunción
Ascaso, Carmen
Wierzchos, Jacek
Fernández-Valiente, Eduardo
Quesada, Antonio
spellingShingle de los Ríos, Asunción
Ascaso, Carmen
Wierzchos, Jacek
Fernández-Valiente, Eduardo
Quesada, Antonio
Microstructural Characterization of Cyanobacterial Mats from the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica
author_facet de los Ríos, Asunción
Ascaso, Carmen
Wierzchos, Jacek
Fernández-Valiente, Eduardo
Quesada, Antonio
author_sort de los Ríos, Asunción
title Microstructural Characterization of Cyanobacterial Mats from the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica
title_short Microstructural Characterization of Cyanobacterial Mats from the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica
title_full Microstructural Characterization of Cyanobacterial Mats from the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica
title_fullStr Microstructural Characterization of Cyanobacterial Mats from the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica
title_full_unstemmed Microstructural Characterization of Cyanobacterial Mats from the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica
title_sort microstructural characterization of cyanobacterial mats from the mcmurdo ice shelf, antarctica
publisher American Society for Microbiology
publishDate 2004
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.70.1.569-580.2004
https://journals.asm.org/doi/pdf/10.1128/AEM.70.1.569-580.2004
long_lat ENVELOPE(166.500,166.500,-78.000,-78.000)
geographic Antarctic
McMurdo Ice Shelf
The Antarctic
geographic_facet Antarctic
McMurdo Ice Shelf
The Antarctic
genre Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctica
Ice Shelf
McMurdo Ice Shelf
genre_facet Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctica
Ice Shelf
McMurdo Ice Shelf
op_source Applied and Environmental Microbiology
volume 70, issue 1, page 569-580
ISSN 0099-2240 1098-5336
op_rights https://journals.asm.org/non-commercial-tdm-license
op_doi https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.70.1.569-580.2004
container_title Applied and Environmental Microbiology
container_volume 70
container_issue 1
container_start_page 569
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