The Architecture of Iron Microbial Mats Reflects the Adaptation of Chemolithotrophic Iron Oxidation in Freshwater and Marine Environments.

ABSTRACT: Microbes form mats with architectures that promote efficient metabolism within a particular physicochemical environment, thus studying mat structure helps us understand ecophysiology. Despite much research on chemolithotrophic Fe-oxidizing bacteria, Fe mat architecture has not been visualized because these delicate structures are easily disrupted. There are striking similarities between the biominerals that comprise freshwater and marine Fe mats, made by Beta- and Zetaproteobacteria, respectively. If these biominerals are assembled into mat structures with similar functional morphology, this would suggest that mat architecture is adapted to serve roles specific to Fe oxidation. To evaluate this, we combined light, confocal, and scanning electron microscopy of intact Fe microbial mats with

SUBMITTER: Chan CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4888753 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature