Search results for "ferruginous lake"

Interspecies interactions mediated by conductive minerals in the sediments of the ferruginous Lake La Cruz, Spain

2018

AbstractLake La Cruz is considered a biogeochemical analogue to early Earth marine environments because its water column is depleted in sulfate, but rich in methane and iron, similar to conditions envisaged for much of the Precambrian. In this early Earth analogue environment, we show that conductive particles establish a tight metabolic coupling between electroactive microbial clades. We propose that mineral-based syntrophy is of potential relevance for the evolution of Earth’s earliest complex life forms. We show that the anoxic sediment of Lake La Cruz, which is rich in biogeochemically ‘reactive’ iron minerals, harbors known electroactive species such asGeobacterandMethanothrix,in addit…