Journal article
Living to Lithified: Construction and Preservation of Silicified Biomarkers
Geobiology, v 22(5), 12620
Sep 2024
PMID: 39319483
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Whole microorganisms are rarely preserved in the fossil record but actively silicifying environments like hot springs provide an opportunity for microbial preservation, making silicifying environments critical for the study of microbial life through time on Earth and possibly other planetary bodies. Yet, the changes that biosignatures may undergo through lithification and burial remain unconstrained. At Steep Cone Geyser in Yellowstone National Park, we collected microbial material from (1) the living system across the active outflows, (2) the silicified areas adjacent to flows, and (3) lithified and buried material to assess the preservation of biosignatures and their changes across the lithification transect. Five biofabrics, built predominantly by Cyanobacteria Geitlerinema, Pseudanabaenaceae, and Leptolyngbya with some filamentous anoxygenic phototrophs contributions, were identified and tracked from the living system through the process of silicification/lithification. In the living systems, delta 30Si values decrease from +0.13 parts per thousand in surficial waters to -2 parts per thousand in biomat samples, indicating a kinetic isotope effect potentially induced by increased association with actively growing biofabrics. The fatty acids C16:1 and iso-C14:0 and the hydrocarbon C17:0 were disentangled from confounding signals and determined to be reliable lipid biosignatures for living biofabric builders and tenant microorganisms. Builder and tenant microbial biosignatures were linked to specific Cyanobacteria, anoxygenic phototrophs, and heterotrophs, which are prominent members of the living communities. Upon lithification and burial, silicon isotopes of silicified biomass began to re-equilibrate, increasing from delta 30Si -2 parts per thousand in living biomats to -0.55 parts per thousand in lithified samples. Active endolithic microbial communities were identified in lithified samples and were dominated by Cyanobacteria, heterotrophic bacteria, and fungi. Results indicate that distinct microbial communities build and inhabit silicified biofabrics through time and that microbial biosignatures shift over the course of lithification. These findings improve our understanding of how microbial communities silicify, the biomarkers they retain, and transitionary impacts that may occur through lithification and burial.
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Details
- Title
- Living to Lithified: Construction and Preservation of Silicified Biomarkers
- Creators
- Kalen L. Rasmussen - Colorado School of MinesPatrick H. Thieringer - Colorado School of MinesSophia Nevadomski - Colorado School of MinesAaron M. Martinez - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyKatherine S. Dawson - Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyFrank A. Corsetti - University of Southern CaliforniaXin-Yuan Zheng - University of MinnesotaYiwen Lv - University of MinnesotaXinyang Chen - University of MinnesotaAaron J. Celestian - Natural History Museum of Los Angeles CountyWilliam M. Berelson - University of Southern CaliforniaNick E. Rollins - University of Southern CaliforniaJohn R. Spear (Corresponding Author) - Colorado School of Mines
- Publication Details
- Geobiology, v 22(5), 12620
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Number of pages
- 30
- Grant note
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Environmental Biogeochemistry
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001319110300001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85204941928
- Other Identifier
- 991022207144004721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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Source: SDGs in the Output
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Biology
- Environmental Sciences
- Geosciences, Multidisciplinary