A microbial driver of clay mineral weathering and bioavailable Fe source under low-temperature conditions
Biotic and abiotic Fe(III) reduction of clay minerals (illite IMt-1) under low-temperature (0 and 4°C, pH 6) was studied to evaluate the effects of bioalteration on soil properties including clay structure and elemental composition. The extent of Fe reduction in bioreduced samples (∼3.8 % at 4°C and...
Published in: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
Frontiers Media SA
2022
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2022.980078 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.980078/full |
Summary: | Biotic and abiotic Fe(III) reduction of clay minerals (illite IMt-1) under low-temperature (0 and 4°C, pH 6) was studied to evaluate the effects of bioalteration on soil properties including clay structure and elemental composition. The extent of Fe reduction in bioreduced samples (∼3.8 % at 4°C and ∼3.1 % at 0°C) was lower than abiotic reduction (∼7.6 %) using dithionite as a strong reductant. However, variations in the illite crystallinity value of bioreduced samples (°Δ2θ = 0.580–0.625) were greater than those of abiotic reduced samples (°Δ2θ = 0.580–0.601), indicating that modification of crystal structure is unlikely to have occurred in abiotic reduction. Moreover, precipitation of secondary-phase minerals such as vivianite [Fe 2+ 3 (PO 4 ) 2 ⋅ 8H 2 O] and nano-sized biogenic silica were shown as evidence of reductive dissolution of Fe-bearing minerals that is observed only in a bioreduced setting. Our observation of a previously undescribed microbe–mineral interaction at low-temperature suggests a significant implication for the microbially mediated mineral alteration in Arctic permafrost, deep sea sediments, and glaciated systems resulting in the release of bioavailable Fe with an impact on low-temperature biogeochemical cycles. |
---|