Carbon isotope fractionation by circumneutral iron-oxidizing bacteria

Abstract

Research Article| December 01, 2010 Carbon isotope fractionation by circumneutral iron-oxidizing bacteria C.B. Kennedy; C.B. Kennedy 1SRK Consulting, 25 Adelaide Street E., Toronto, Ontario M5C 3A1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar A.G. Gault; A.G. Gault 2Department of Earth Sciences, University of Ottawa, 140 Louis Pasteur, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar D. Fortin; D. Fortin 2Department of Earth Sciences, University of Ottawa, 140 Louis Pasteur, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar I.D. Clark; I.D. Clark 2Department of Earth Sciences, University of Ottawa, 140 Louis Pasteur, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar K. Pedersen; K. Pedersen 3Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Göteborg University, Box 462, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar S.D. Scott; S.D. Scott 4Department of Geology, University of Toronto, 22 Russell Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar F.G. Ferris F.G. Ferris * 4Department of Geology, University of Toronto, 22 Russell Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B1, Canada *E-mail: ferris@geology.utoronto.ca. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information C.B. Kennedy 1SRK Consulting, 25 Adelaide Street E., Toronto, Ontario M5C 3A1, Canada A.G. Gault 2Department of Earth Sciences, University of Ottawa, 140 Louis Pasteur, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada D. Fortin 2Department of Earth Sciences, University of Ottawa, 140 Louis Pasteur, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada I.D. Clark 2Department of Earth Sciences, University of Ottawa, 140 Louis Pasteur, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada K. Pedersen 3Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Göteborg University, Box 462, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden S.D. Scott 4Department of Geology, University of Toronto, 22 Russell Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B1, Canada F.G. Ferris * 4Department of Geology, University of Toronto, 22 Russell Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B1, Canada *E-mail: ferris@geology.utoronto.ca. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 22 Dec 2009 Revision Received: 06 Jul 2010 Accepted: 08 Jul 2010 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2010 Geological Society of America Geology (2010) 38 (12): 1087–1090. https://doi.org/10.1130/G30986.1 Article history Received: 22 Dec 2009 Revision Received: 06 Jul 2010 Accepted: 08 Jul 2010 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation C.B. Kennedy, A.G. Gault, D. Fortin, I.D. Clark, K. Pedersen, S.D. Scott, F.G. Ferris; Carbon isotope fractionation by circumneutral iron-oxidizing bacteria. Geology 2010;; 38 (12): 1087–1090. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G30986.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Bacteriogenic iron oxides in natural environments are characterized by an abundance of ferrihydrite precipitates intermixed with bacterial structures that commonly resemble those produced by the lithoautotrophic microorganisms Gallionella ferruginea and Leptohtrix ochracea. These species have been inferred to play a causal role in the formation of bacteriogenic iron oxides, providing a pathway for the reduction of CO2 and the depletion of 13C in the organic constituents of bacteriogenic iron oxides. In this study, stable carbon isotope fractionation was determined for bacteriogenic iron oxide samples collected from submarine hydrothermal vents (Axial Volcano, Juan de Fuca Ridge), subterranean (Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory, Sweden) and surficial (Chalk River, Canada) groundwater seeps, and cultures of G. ferruginea. Data were also collected from ferrihydrite samples lacking evidence of bacteria from Bounty Seamount in the vicinity of Pitcairn Island. The mean δ13C (‰) of ferrihydrite was determined to be −15.87‰ ± 4.96‰ for the samples from Axial Volcano, −24.97‰ ± 0.43‰ for Äspö, −27.80‰ ± 0.85‰ for Chalk River, −29.3‰ ± 0.2‰ for the microbial culture, and −8.43‰ ± 1.89‰ for the samples from Pitcairn. Samples with the highest concentration of organic carbon also had the lightest δ13C in a logarithmic relationship. The consistency of carbon isotope values in relation to the presence of iron-oxidizing bacteria from natural and laboratory samples is interpreted as the ability of these microorganisms to fractionate carbon. The potential of this fractionation to serve as a biosignature holds promise when the resistance of carbon and bacteriogenic ferrihydrite to diagenesis is taken into consideration. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.