In situ Dynamics of O2, pH, Light, and Photosynthesis in Ikaite Tufa Columns (Ikka Fjord, Greenland)—A Unique Microbial Habitat
The Ikka Fjord (SW Greenland) harbors a unique microbial habitat in the form of several hundred submarine tufa columns composed of ikaite, a special hexahydrate form of calcium carbonate that precipitates when alkaline phosphate- and carbonate-enriched spring water seeping out of the sea floor meets...
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Online Access: | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4871860/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27242741 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00722 |
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ftpubmed:oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:4871860 2023-05-15T16:28:33+02:00 In situ Dynamics of O2, pH, Light, and Photosynthesis in Ikaite Tufa Columns (Ikka Fjord, Greenland)—A Unique Microbial Habitat Trampe, Erik C. L. Larsen, Jens E. N. Glaring, Mikkel A. Stougaard, Peter Kühl, Michael 2016-05-19 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4871860/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27242741 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00722 en eng Frontiers Media S.A. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4871860/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27242741 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00722 Copyright © 2016 Trampe, Larsen, Glaring, Stougaard and Kühl. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. CC-BY Microbiology Text 2016 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00722 2016-06-05T00:30:27Z The Ikka Fjord (SW Greenland) harbors a unique microbial habitat in the form of several hundred submarine tufa columns composed of ikaite, a special hexahydrate form of calcium carbonate that precipitates when alkaline phosphate- and carbonate-enriched spring water seeping out of the sea floor meets cold seawater. While several unique heterotrophic microbes have been isolated from the tufa columns, the microbial activity, and the boundary conditions for microbial growth in ikaite have remained unexplored. We present the first detailed in situ characterization of the physico-chemical microenvironment and activity of oxygenic phototrophs thriving within the ikaite columns. In situ underwater microsensor measurements of pH, temperature, and irradiance in the porous ikaite crystal matrix, revealed an extreme microenvironment characterized by low temperatures, strong light attenuation, and gradients of pH changing from pH 9 at the outer column surface to above pH 10 over the first 1–2 cm of the ikaite. This outer layer of the freshly deposited ikaite matrix contained densely pigmented yellow and green zones harboring a diverse phototrophic community dominated by diatoms and cyanobacteria, respectively, as shown by amplicon sequencing. In situ O2 measurements, as well as underwater variable chlorophyll fluorescence measurements of photosynthetic activity, demonstrated high levels of oxygenic photosynthesis in this extreme gradient environment with strong irradiance-driven O2 dynamics ranging from anoxia to hyperoxic conditions in the ikaite matrix, albeit the local formation of gas bubbles buffered the day-night dynamics of O2 in the tufa columns. The microbial phototrophs in the ikaite matrix are embedded in exopolymers forming endolithic biofilms that may interact with mineral formation and cementing of ikaite crystals. Text Greenland PubMed Central (PMC) Greenland Ikka ENVELOPE(-48.100,-48.100,61.150,61.150) Frontiers in Microbiology 7 |
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English |
topic |
Microbiology |
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Microbiology Trampe, Erik C. L. Larsen, Jens E. N. Glaring, Mikkel A. Stougaard, Peter Kühl, Michael In situ Dynamics of O2, pH, Light, and Photosynthesis in Ikaite Tufa Columns (Ikka Fjord, Greenland)—A Unique Microbial Habitat |
topic_facet |
Microbiology |
description |
The Ikka Fjord (SW Greenland) harbors a unique microbial habitat in the form of several hundred submarine tufa columns composed of ikaite, a special hexahydrate form of calcium carbonate that precipitates when alkaline phosphate- and carbonate-enriched spring water seeping out of the sea floor meets cold seawater. While several unique heterotrophic microbes have been isolated from the tufa columns, the microbial activity, and the boundary conditions for microbial growth in ikaite have remained unexplored. We present the first detailed in situ characterization of the physico-chemical microenvironment and activity of oxygenic phototrophs thriving within the ikaite columns. In situ underwater microsensor measurements of pH, temperature, and irradiance in the porous ikaite crystal matrix, revealed an extreme microenvironment characterized by low temperatures, strong light attenuation, and gradients of pH changing from pH 9 at the outer column surface to above pH 10 over the first 1–2 cm of the ikaite. This outer layer of the freshly deposited ikaite matrix contained densely pigmented yellow and green zones harboring a diverse phototrophic community dominated by diatoms and cyanobacteria, respectively, as shown by amplicon sequencing. In situ O2 measurements, as well as underwater variable chlorophyll fluorescence measurements of photosynthetic activity, demonstrated high levels of oxygenic photosynthesis in this extreme gradient environment with strong irradiance-driven O2 dynamics ranging from anoxia to hyperoxic conditions in the ikaite matrix, albeit the local formation of gas bubbles buffered the day-night dynamics of O2 in the tufa columns. The microbial phototrophs in the ikaite matrix are embedded in exopolymers forming endolithic biofilms that may interact with mineral formation and cementing of ikaite crystals. |
format |
Text |
author |
Trampe, Erik C. L. Larsen, Jens E. N. Glaring, Mikkel A. Stougaard, Peter Kühl, Michael |
author_facet |
Trampe, Erik C. L. Larsen, Jens E. N. Glaring, Mikkel A. Stougaard, Peter Kühl, Michael |
author_sort |
Trampe, Erik C. L. |
title |
In situ Dynamics of O2, pH, Light, and Photosynthesis in Ikaite Tufa Columns (Ikka Fjord, Greenland)—A Unique Microbial Habitat |
title_short |
In situ Dynamics of O2, pH, Light, and Photosynthesis in Ikaite Tufa Columns (Ikka Fjord, Greenland)—A Unique Microbial Habitat |
title_full |
In situ Dynamics of O2, pH, Light, and Photosynthesis in Ikaite Tufa Columns (Ikka Fjord, Greenland)—A Unique Microbial Habitat |
title_fullStr |
In situ Dynamics of O2, pH, Light, and Photosynthesis in Ikaite Tufa Columns (Ikka Fjord, Greenland)—A Unique Microbial Habitat |
title_full_unstemmed |
In situ Dynamics of O2, pH, Light, and Photosynthesis in Ikaite Tufa Columns (Ikka Fjord, Greenland)—A Unique Microbial Habitat |
title_sort |
in situ dynamics of o2, ph, light, and photosynthesis in ikaite tufa columns (ikka fjord, greenland)—a unique microbial habitat |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4871860/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27242741 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00722 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-48.100,-48.100,61.150,61.150) |
geographic |
Greenland Ikka |
geographic_facet |
Greenland Ikka |
genre |
Greenland |
genre_facet |
Greenland |
op_relation |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4871860/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27242741 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00722 |
op_rights |
Copyright © 2016 Trampe, Larsen, Glaring, Stougaard and Kühl. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00722 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Microbiology |
container_volume |
7 |
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1766018203191869440 |