6533b836fe1ef96bd12a0bc1
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Compartmentalization of gypsum and halite associated with cyanobacteria in saline soil crusts
Pietro IavazzoPaola AdamoGiuseppe Lo PapaLoredana CanforaAnna BenedettiCarmelo DazziAnne D. JungblutFlavia PinzariElisa VendraminLivia Vittori Antisarisubject
Biomineralization0301 basic medicineCyanobacteriaGypsumbiomineralisationSettore AGR/13 - Chimica Agraria030106 microbiologychemistry.chemical_elementMineralogySulfur bacteriaSodium ChlorideBiologyengineering.materialCyanobacteriaCalcium SulfateApplied Microbiology and BiotechnologyMicrobiologySoil03 medical and health sciencesX-Ray DiffractionSoil crustRNA Ribosomal 16SSoil MicrobiologyMineralSulfur CompoundsEcologyMedicine (all)biology.organism_classificationSulfurchemistrySettore AGR/14 - PedologiaMicroscopy Electron ScanningengineeringsulfobacteriaSoil crustHaliteSoil microbiologySaline soilBiomineralizationdescription
The interface between biological and geochemical components in surface crust of a saline soil was investigated using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and variable pressure scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in combination with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDS). Mineral compounds such as halite and gypsum were identified crystallized around filaments of cyanobacteria. A total of 92 genera were identified from the bacterial community based on 16S gene pyrosequencing analysis. The occurrence of the gypsum crystals, their shapes and compartmentalization suggested that they separated NaCl from the immediate microenvironment of the cyanobacteria, and that some cyanobacteria and communities of sulfur bacteria may had a physical control over the distinctive halite and gypsum structures produced. This suggests that cyanobacteria might directly or indirectly promote the formation of a protective envelope made of calcium and sulfur-based compounds.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-01-01 | FEMS Microbiology Ecology |