Iron-Rich Diagenetic Minerals are Biomarkers of Microbial Activity in Antarctic Rocks
10 pages, figures, and tables statistics. The cold, dry ecosystems of Antarctica have been shown to harbor traces left behind by microbial activity within certain types of rocks, but only two indirect biomarkers of cryptoendolithic activity in the Antarctic cold desert zone have been described to da...
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ftcsic:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/32121 2024-02-11T09:55:53+01:00 Iron-Rich Diagenetic Minerals are Biomarkers of Microbial Activity in Antarctic Rocks Wierzchos, Jacek Ascaso, Carmen García-Sancho, Leopoldo Green, Allan 2003 http://hdl.handle.net/10261/32121 https://doi.org/10.1080/0149045039014439 en eng Taylor & Francis http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01490450390144349 Geomicrobiology Journal 20: 15-24 (2003) 0149-0451 http://hdl.handle.net/10261/32121 doi:10.1080/0149045039014439 none Antarctic granite Biomarkers Cryptoendoliths Microfossils artículo http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 2003 ftcsic https://doi.org/10.1080/014904503901443910.1080/01490450390144349 2024-01-16T09:30:12Z 10 pages, figures, and tables statistics. The cold, dry ecosystems of Antarctica have been shown to harbor traces left behind by microbial activity within certain types of rocks, but only two indirect biomarkers of cryptoendolithic activity in the Antarctic cold desert zone have been described to date. These are the geophysical and geochemical bioweathering patterns macroscopically observed in sandstone rock. Here we show that in this extreme environment, minerals are biologically transformed, and as a result, Fe-rich diagenetic minerals in the form of iron hydroxide nanocrystals and biogenic clays are deposited around chasmoendolithic hyphae and bacterial cells. Thus, when microbial life decays, these characteristic neocrystalized minerals act as distinct biomarkers of previous endolithic activity. The ability to recognize these traces may have potential astrobiological implications because the Antarctic Ross Desert is considered a terrestrial analogue of a possible ecosystem on early Mars. Peer reviewed Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Digital.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) Antarctic The Antarctic |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Digital.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) |
op_collection_id |
ftcsic |
language |
English |
topic |
Antarctic granite Biomarkers Cryptoendoliths Microfossils |
spellingShingle |
Antarctic granite Biomarkers Cryptoendoliths Microfossils Wierzchos, Jacek Ascaso, Carmen García-Sancho, Leopoldo Green, Allan Iron-Rich Diagenetic Minerals are Biomarkers of Microbial Activity in Antarctic Rocks |
topic_facet |
Antarctic granite Biomarkers Cryptoendoliths Microfossils |
description |
10 pages, figures, and tables statistics. The cold, dry ecosystems of Antarctica have been shown to harbor traces left behind by microbial activity within certain types of rocks, but only two indirect biomarkers of cryptoendolithic activity in the Antarctic cold desert zone have been described to date. These are the geophysical and geochemical bioweathering patterns macroscopically observed in sandstone rock. Here we show that in this extreme environment, minerals are biologically transformed, and as a result, Fe-rich diagenetic minerals in the form of iron hydroxide nanocrystals and biogenic clays are deposited around chasmoendolithic hyphae and bacterial cells. Thus, when microbial life decays, these characteristic neocrystalized minerals act as distinct biomarkers of previous endolithic activity. The ability to recognize these traces may have potential astrobiological implications because the Antarctic Ross Desert is considered a terrestrial analogue of a possible ecosystem on early Mars. Peer reviewed |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wierzchos, Jacek Ascaso, Carmen García-Sancho, Leopoldo Green, Allan |
author_facet |
Wierzchos, Jacek Ascaso, Carmen García-Sancho, Leopoldo Green, Allan |
author_sort |
Wierzchos, Jacek |
title |
Iron-Rich Diagenetic Minerals are Biomarkers of Microbial Activity in Antarctic Rocks |
title_short |
Iron-Rich Diagenetic Minerals are Biomarkers of Microbial Activity in Antarctic Rocks |
title_full |
Iron-Rich Diagenetic Minerals are Biomarkers of Microbial Activity in Antarctic Rocks |
title_fullStr |
Iron-Rich Diagenetic Minerals are Biomarkers of Microbial Activity in Antarctic Rocks |
title_full_unstemmed |
Iron-Rich Diagenetic Minerals are Biomarkers of Microbial Activity in Antarctic Rocks |
title_sort |
iron-rich diagenetic minerals are biomarkers of microbial activity in antarctic rocks |
publisher |
Taylor & Francis |
publishDate |
2003 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10261/32121 https://doi.org/10.1080/0149045039014439 |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica |
op_relation |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01490450390144349 Geomicrobiology Journal 20: 15-24 (2003) 0149-0451 http://hdl.handle.net/10261/32121 doi:10.1080/0149045039014439 |
op_rights |
none |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1080/014904503901443910.1080/01490450390144349 |
_version_ |
1790599283785859072 |