Biomineralization of endolithic microbes in rocks from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: implications for microbial fossil formation and their detection
10 páges, and photos. 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 micr...
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ftcsic:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/17080 2024-02-11T09:57:23+01:00 Biomineralization of endolithic microbes in rocks from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: implications for microbial fossil formation and their detection Wierzchos, Jacek García Sancho, Leopoldo Ascaso, Carmen 2005 725417 bytes application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/10261/17080 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2004.00725.x en eng Blackwell Publishing http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00725.x Environmental Microbilogy 7(4): 566-575 (2005) 1462-2912 http://hdl.handle.net/10261/17080 doi:10.1111/j.1462-2920.2004.00725.x none Biomineralization Endolithic microbes in rocks Microbial fossil artículo http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 2005 ftcsic https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2004.00725.x10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00725.x 2024-01-16T09:23:45Z 10 páges, and photos. 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. Peer reviewed Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica Commonwealth Glacier McMurdo Dry Valleys Digital.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) Commonwealth Glacier ENVELOPE(163.317,163.317,-77.583,-77.583) McMurdo Dry Valleys |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Digital.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) |
op_collection_id |
ftcsic |
language |
English |
topic |
Biomineralization Endolithic microbes in rocks Microbial fossil |
spellingShingle |
Biomineralization Endolithic microbes in rocks Microbial fossil Wierzchos, Jacek García Sancho, Leopoldo Ascaso, Carmen Biomineralization of endolithic microbes in rocks from the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: implications for microbial fossil formation and their detection |
topic_facet |
Biomineralization Endolithic microbes in rocks Microbial fossil |
description |
10 páges, and photos. 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. Peer reviewed |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wierzchos, Jacek García Sancho, Leopoldo Ascaso, Carmen |
author_facet |
Wierzchos, Jacek García Sancho, Leopoldo 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 |
Blackwell Publishing |
publishDate |
2005 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10261/17080 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2004.00725.x |
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_relation |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00725.x Environmental Microbilogy 7(4): 566-575 (2005) 1462-2912 http://hdl.handle.net/10261/17080 doi:10.1111/j.1462-2920.2004.00725.x |
op_rights |
none |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2004.00725.x10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00725.x |
_version_ |
1790609685273903104 |