Biomineralization of endolithic microbes in rocks from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: implications for microbial fossil formation and their detection
Summary In some zones of Antarctica's cold and dry desert, the extinction of cryptoendolithic microorganisms leaves behind inorganic traces of microbial life. In this paper, we examine the transition from live microorganisms, through their decay, to microbial fossils using in situ microscopy (t...
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crwiley:10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00725.x 2024-06-02T07:58:36+00:00 Biomineralization of endolithic microbes in rocks from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: implications for microbial fossil formation and their detection Wierzchos, Jacek Sancho, Leopoldo García Ascaso, Carmen 2005 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00725.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1462-2920.2005.00725.x http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00725.x/fullpdf en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Environmental Microbiology volume 7, issue 4, page 566-575 ISSN 1462-2912 1462-2920 journal-article 2005 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00725.x 2024-05-03T11:24:43Z Summary In some zones of Antarctica's cold and dry desert, the extinction of cryptoendolithic microorganisms leaves behind inorganic traces of microbial life. In this paper, we examine the transition from live microorganisms, through their decay, to microbial fossils using in situ microscopy (transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy in back‐scattered electron mode) and microanalytical (energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy) techniques. Our results demonstrate that, after their death, endolithic microorganisms inhabiting Commonwealth Glacier sandstone from the Antarctica McMurdo Dry Valleys become mineralized. In some cases, epicellular deposition of minerals and/or simply filling up of empty moulds by minerals leads to the formation of cell‐shaped structures that may be considered biomarkers. The continuous deposition of allochthonous clay minerals and sulfate‐rich salts fills the sandstone pores. This process can give rise to microbial fossils with distinguishable cell wall structures. Often, fossilized cell interiors were of a different chemical composition to the mineralized cell walls. We propose that the microbial fossil formation observed was induced by mineral precipitation resulting from inorganic processes occurring after the death of cryptoendolithic microorganisms. Nevertheless, it must have been the organic template that provoked the diffusion of mineral elements and gave rise to their characteristic distribution pattern inside the fossilized cells. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica Commonwealth Glacier McMurdo Dry Valleys Wiley Online Library Commonwealth Glacier ENVELOPE(163.317,163.317,-77.583,-77.583) McMurdo Dry Valleys Environmental Microbiology 7 4 566 575 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Summary In some zones of Antarctica's cold and dry desert, the extinction of cryptoendolithic microorganisms leaves behind inorganic traces of microbial life. In this paper, we examine the transition from live microorganisms, through their decay, to microbial fossils using in situ microscopy (transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy in back‐scattered electron mode) and microanalytical (energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy) techniques. Our results demonstrate that, after their death, endolithic microorganisms inhabiting Commonwealth Glacier sandstone from the Antarctica McMurdo Dry Valleys become mineralized. In some cases, epicellular deposition of minerals and/or simply filling up of empty moulds by minerals leads to the formation of cell‐shaped structures that may be considered biomarkers. The continuous deposition of allochthonous clay minerals and sulfate‐rich salts fills the sandstone pores. This process can give rise to microbial fossils with distinguishable cell wall structures. Often, fossilized cell interiors were of a different chemical composition to the mineralized cell walls. We propose that the microbial fossil formation observed was induced by mineral precipitation resulting from inorganic processes occurring after the death of cryptoendolithic microorganisms. Nevertheless, it must have been the organic template that provoked the diffusion of mineral elements and gave rise to their characteristic distribution pattern inside the fossilized cells. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wierzchos, Jacek Sancho, Leopoldo García Ascaso, Carmen |
spellingShingle |
Wierzchos, Jacek Sancho, Leopoldo García Ascaso, Carmen Biomineralization of endolithic microbes in rocks from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: implications for microbial fossil formation and their detection |
author_facet |
Wierzchos, Jacek Sancho, Leopoldo García Ascaso, Carmen |
author_sort |
Wierzchos, Jacek |
title |
Biomineralization of endolithic microbes in rocks from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: implications for microbial fossil formation and their detection |
title_short |
Biomineralization of endolithic microbes in rocks from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: implications for microbial fossil formation and their detection |
title_full |
Biomineralization of endolithic microbes in rocks from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: implications for microbial fossil formation and their detection |
title_fullStr |
Biomineralization of endolithic microbes in rocks from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: implications for microbial fossil formation and their detection |
title_full_unstemmed |
Biomineralization of endolithic microbes in rocks from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: implications for microbial fossil formation and their detection |
title_sort |
biomineralization of endolithic microbes in rocks from the mcmurdo dry valleys of antarctica: implications for microbial fossil formation and their detection |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2005 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00725.x https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1462-2920.2005.00725.x http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00725.x/fullpdf |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(163.317,163.317,-77.583,-77.583) |
geographic |
Commonwealth Glacier McMurdo Dry Valleys |
geographic_facet |
Commonwealth Glacier McMurdo Dry Valleys |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica Commonwealth Glacier McMurdo Dry Valleys |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica Commonwealth Glacier McMurdo Dry Valleys |
op_source |
Environmental Microbiology volume 7, issue 4, page 566-575 ISSN 1462-2912 1462-2920 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00725.x |
container_title |
Environmental Microbiology |
container_volume |
7 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
566 |
op_container_end_page |
575 |
_version_ |
1800742008851005440 |