Empirical testing of cryoconite granulation: Role of cyanobacteria in the formation of key biogenic structure darkening glaciers in polar regions
Cryoconite, the dark sediment on the surface of glaciers, often aggregates into oval or irregular granules serving as biogeochemical factories. They reduce a glacier's albedo, act as biodiversity hotspots by supporting aerobic and anaerobic microbial communities, constitute one of the organic m...
Published in: | Journal of Phycology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2023
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/11391/1565795 https://doi.org/10.1111/jpy.13372 |
id |
ftuniperugiairis:oai:research.unipg.it:11391/1565795 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftuniperugiairis:oai:research.unipg.it:11391/1565795 2024-02-11T10:04:04+01:00 Empirical testing of cryoconite granulation: Role of cyanobacteria in the formation of key biogenic structure darkening glaciers in polar regions Wejnerowski, Łukasz Poniecka, Ewa Buda, Jakub Klimaszyk, Piotr Piasecka, Agnieszka Dziuba, Marcin Krzysztof Mugnai, Gianmarco Takeuchi, Nozomu Zawierucha, Krzysztof Wejnerowski, Łukasz Poniecka, Ewa Buda, Jakub Klimaszyk, Piotr Piasecka, Agnieszka Dziuba, Marcin Krzysztof Mugnai, Gianmarco Takeuchi, Nozomu Zawierucha, Krzysztof 2023 https://hdl.handle.net/11391/1565795 https://doi.org/10.1111/jpy.13372 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/37572353 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:001047620900001 volume:59 issue:5 firstpage:939 lastpage:949 numberofpages:11 journal:JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY https://hdl.handle.net/11391/1565795 doi:10.1111/jpy.13372 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-85167690613 Microcoleus Phormidesmis Alcian blue staining Oscillatoriales biogenic aggregations cryoconite granules extracellular polymeric substances glacial ecosystems glacier cyanobacteria scanning electron microscopy info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2023 ftuniperugiairis https://doi.org/10.1111/jpy.13372 2024-01-24T17:34:43Z Cryoconite, the dark sediment on the surface of glaciers, often aggregates into oval or irregular granules serving as biogeochemical factories. They reduce a glacier's albedo, act as biodiversity hotspots by supporting aerobic and anaerobic microbial communities, constitute one of the organic matter (OM) sources on glaciers, and are a feeder for micrometazoans. Although cryoconite granules have multiple roles on glaciers, their formation is poorly understood. Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous and abundant engineers of cryoconite hole ecosystems. This study tested whether cyanobacteria may be responsible for cryoconite granulation as a sole biotic element. Incubation of Greenlandic, Svalbard, and Scandinavian cyanobacteria in different nutrient availabilities and substrata for growth (distilled water alone and water with quartz powder, furnaced cryoconite without OM, or powdered rocks from glacial catchment) revealed that cyanobacteria bind mineral particles into granules. The structures formed in the experiment resembled those commonly observed in natural cryoconite holes: they contained numerous cyanobacterial filaments protruding from aggregated mineral particles. Moreover, all examined strains were confirmed to produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which suggests that cryoconite granulation is most likely due to EPS secretion by gliding cyanobacteria. In the presence of water as the only substrate for growth, cyanobacteria formed mostly carpet-like mats. Our data empirically prove that EPS-producing oscillatorialean cyanobacteria isolated from the diverse community of cryoconite microorganisms can form granules from mineral substrate and that the presence of the mineral substrate increases the probability of the formation of these important and complex biogeochemical microstructures on glaciers. Article in Journal/Newspaper glacier greenlandic Svalbard IRIS Università degli Studi di Perugia Svalbard Journal of Phycology 59 5 939 949 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
IRIS Università degli Studi di Perugia |
op_collection_id |
ftuniperugiairis |
language |
English |
topic |
Microcoleus Phormidesmis Alcian blue staining Oscillatoriales biogenic aggregations cryoconite granules extracellular polymeric substances glacial ecosystems glacier cyanobacteria scanning electron microscopy |
spellingShingle |
Microcoleus Phormidesmis Alcian blue staining Oscillatoriales biogenic aggregations cryoconite granules extracellular polymeric substances glacial ecosystems glacier cyanobacteria scanning electron microscopy Wejnerowski, Łukasz Poniecka, Ewa Buda, Jakub Klimaszyk, Piotr Piasecka, Agnieszka Dziuba, Marcin Krzysztof Mugnai, Gianmarco Takeuchi, Nozomu Zawierucha, Krzysztof Empirical testing of cryoconite granulation: Role of cyanobacteria in the formation of key biogenic structure darkening glaciers in polar regions |
topic_facet |
Microcoleus Phormidesmis Alcian blue staining Oscillatoriales biogenic aggregations cryoconite granules extracellular polymeric substances glacial ecosystems glacier cyanobacteria scanning electron microscopy |
description |
Cryoconite, the dark sediment on the surface of glaciers, often aggregates into oval or irregular granules serving as biogeochemical factories. They reduce a glacier's albedo, act as biodiversity hotspots by supporting aerobic and anaerobic microbial communities, constitute one of the organic matter (OM) sources on glaciers, and are a feeder for micrometazoans. Although cryoconite granules have multiple roles on glaciers, their formation is poorly understood. Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous and abundant engineers of cryoconite hole ecosystems. This study tested whether cyanobacteria may be responsible for cryoconite granulation as a sole biotic element. Incubation of Greenlandic, Svalbard, and Scandinavian cyanobacteria in different nutrient availabilities and substrata for growth (distilled water alone and water with quartz powder, furnaced cryoconite without OM, or powdered rocks from glacial catchment) revealed that cyanobacteria bind mineral particles into granules. The structures formed in the experiment resembled those commonly observed in natural cryoconite holes: they contained numerous cyanobacterial filaments protruding from aggregated mineral particles. Moreover, all examined strains were confirmed to produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which suggests that cryoconite granulation is most likely due to EPS secretion by gliding cyanobacteria. In the presence of water as the only substrate for growth, cyanobacteria formed mostly carpet-like mats. Our data empirically prove that EPS-producing oscillatorialean cyanobacteria isolated from the diverse community of cryoconite microorganisms can form granules from mineral substrate and that the presence of the mineral substrate increases the probability of the formation of these important and complex biogeochemical microstructures on glaciers. |
author2 |
Wejnerowski, Łukasz Poniecka, Ewa Buda, Jakub Klimaszyk, Piotr Piasecka, Agnieszka Dziuba, Marcin Krzysztof Mugnai, Gianmarco Takeuchi, Nozomu Zawierucha, Krzysztof |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wejnerowski, Łukasz Poniecka, Ewa Buda, Jakub Klimaszyk, Piotr Piasecka, Agnieszka Dziuba, Marcin Krzysztof Mugnai, Gianmarco Takeuchi, Nozomu Zawierucha, Krzysztof |
author_facet |
Wejnerowski, Łukasz Poniecka, Ewa Buda, Jakub Klimaszyk, Piotr Piasecka, Agnieszka Dziuba, Marcin Krzysztof Mugnai, Gianmarco Takeuchi, Nozomu Zawierucha, Krzysztof |
author_sort |
Wejnerowski, Łukasz |
title |
Empirical testing of cryoconite granulation: Role of cyanobacteria in the formation of key biogenic structure darkening glaciers in polar regions |
title_short |
Empirical testing of cryoconite granulation: Role of cyanobacteria in the formation of key biogenic structure darkening glaciers in polar regions |
title_full |
Empirical testing of cryoconite granulation: Role of cyanobacteria in the formation of key biogenic structure darkening glaciers in polar regions |
title_fullStr |
Empirical testing of cryoconite granulation: Role of cyanobacteria in the formation of key biogenic structure darkening glaciers in polar regions |
title_full_unstemmed |
Empirical testing of cryoconite granulation: Role of cyanobacteria in the formation of key biogenic structure darkening glaciers in polar regions |
title_sort |
empirical testing of cryoconite granulation: role of cyanobacteria in the formation of key biogenic structure darkening glaciers in polar regions |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/11391/1565795 https://doi.org/10.1111/jpy.13372 |
geographic |
Svalbard |
geographic_facet |
Svalbard |
genre |
glacier greenlandic Svalbard |
genre_facet |
glacier greenlandic Svalbard |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/37572353 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/WOS:001047620900001 volume:59 issue:5 firstpage:939 lastpage:949 numberofpages:11 journal:JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY https://hdl.handle.net/11391/1565795 doi:10.1111/jpy.13372 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/scopus/2-s2.0-85167690613 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/jpy.13372 |
container_title |
Journal of Phycology |
container_volume |
59 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
939 |
op_container_end_page |
949 |
_version_ |
1790600523977588736 |