Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T05:08:03.691Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Formation of Banded Iron-Manganese Structures by Natural Microbial Communities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2024

Kazue Tazaki*
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
*
E-mail of corresponding author: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Microbial structures in the form of banded zebra patterns have been found as periodic iron-manganese layers in living biomats on the coast of Satsuma-Iwo Jima, a small volcanic island near southern Kyushu, Japan. Electron microscopic observation shows that coccus, fibrous, and bacillus-type bacterial communities construct zebra architecture Fe-Mn layers through biomineralization on and within cells. A living microbial fumarolic ferro-manganese precipitation growing in seawater around an active volcanic island explains one mechanism of banded formation. Biological processes form the elemental zebra pattern, with periodic distribution of bacterial cells with Fe-Mn in each layer of the architecture. Fibrous bacteria are sometimes mineralized with goethite, ferrihydrite, and buserite microcrystals, coated with granular mucoid substances. The biomineralization may then mature to form a recent stratified banded-iron formation. The Satsuma-Iwo Jima zebra architecture is unusual in that it forms under aerobic conditions in a warm shallow-water environment, in contrast to the intermittent oxidizing and reducing conditions in which deep-sea analogues develop.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © 2000, The Clay Minerals Society

References

Brown, D.A. Sawicki, J.A. and Sherriff, B.L., (1998) Alteration of microbially precipitated iron oxides and hydroxides American Mineralogist 83 14191425 10.2138/am-1998-11-1231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, D.A. Sherriff, B.L. Sawickl, J.A. and Sparling, R., (1999) Precipitation of iron minerals by a natural microbial consortium Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 63 21632169 10.1016/S0016-7037(99)00188-X.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Costerton, J.W. Lewandowski, Z. and Korber, R., (1995) Microbial biofilms Annual Review, Microbiology 49 711 10.1146/annurev.mi.49.100195.003431.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Emerson, D. and Revsbech, N.P., (1994) Investigation of an iron-oxidizing microbial mat community located near Aarhus, Denmark: Field studies Applied Environmental Microbiology 60 40224031.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ferris, F.G. Fyfe, W.S. and Beveridge, T.J., (1987) Manganese oxide deposition in a hot spring microbial mat Geomicrobiology Journal 5 3341 10.1080/01490458709385955.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fortin, D. Ferris, F.G. and Scott, S.D., (1998) Formation of Fe-silicates and Fe-oxides on bacterial surfaces in samples collected near hydrothermal vents on the Southern Explorer Ridge in the northeast Pacific Ocean American Mineralogist 83 13991408 10.2138/am-1998-11-1229.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frankel, R.B. and Blakemore, R.R., (1991) Iron Biominerals New York Plenum Publisher 10.1007/978-1-4615-3810-3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hannington, M.D. Jonasson, I.R., Skinner, H.G. and Fitzpatrick, R.W., (1992) Fe and Mn oxides at seafloor hydrothermal vents Biomineralization Processes of Iron and Manganese—Modern and Ancient Environments Germany Catena, Cremlingen 351370.Google Scholar
Henisch, H.K., (1988) Crystals in Gels and Liesegang Rings Cambridge Cambridge University Press 197220 10.1017/CBO9780511525223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holden, C., (1998) Nature’s art Science 282 1983.Google Scholar
Lawrence, J.R. Korber, D.R. and Caldwell, D.E., (1991) Optical sectioning of microbial biofilms Journal of Bacteriology 173 65586567 10.1128/jb.173.20.6558-6567.1991.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lovley, D.R., (1997) Microbial Fe(III) reduction in subsurface environments F EMS Microbiology Reviews 20 305313 10.1111/j.1574-6976.1997.tb00316.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mandernack, KW Post J and Tebo, B.M., (1995) Manganese mineral formation by bacterial spores of marine bacillus, strain SG-1: Evidence for the direct oxidation of Mn(II) to Mn(IV) Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 59 43934408 10.1016/0016-7037(95)00298-E.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nealson, K.H. Stahl, D.A., Banfield, J.E. and Nealson, K.H., (1997) Microorganisms and biogeochemical cycles: What can we learn from layered microbial communities? Geomicrobiology: Interactions Between Microbes and Minerals Washington, D.C. Mineralogical Society of America 534 10.1515/9781501509247-003.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ono, K. Soya, R. and Hosono, T., (1982) Geology of Satsuma-Iou Jima District Tsukuba Geological Survey of Japan 4564.Google Scholar
Reitner, J. and Neuweiler, F., (1995) Mud mounds: A poly-genetic spectrum of fine-grained carbonate buildups FACIES 32 170 10.1007/BF02536869.Google Scholar
Skinner, H.G. and Fitzpatrick, R.W., (1992) Biomineralization Processes of Iron and Manganese—Modern and Ancient Environments Germany Catena, Cremlinger.Google Scholar
Tazaki, K., (1995) Electron microscopic observation of biomineralization in biomats from hot springs Journal of the Geological Society of Japan 101 304314 10.5575/geosoc.101.304.Google Scholar
Tazaki, K., (1997) Biomineralization of layer silicates and hydrated Fe/Mn oxides in microbial mats: An electron microscopical study Clays and Clay Minerals 45 203212 10.1346/CCMN.1997.0450208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tazaki, K., (1999) Architecture of biomats reveals history of geo-, aqua-, and bio-systems Episodes 22 2125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tazaki, K. and Ishida, H., (1996) Bacteria as nucleation sites for authigenic minerals Journal of the Geological Society of Japan 102 866878 10.5575/geosoc.102.866.Google Scholar
Tazaki, K. Ishida, H. Fyfe, W.S., Churchman, G.J. Fitzpatrick, R.W. and Eggleton, R.A., (1995) Calcite deposition in hot spring microbial mat from Iceland Proceedings of the International Clay Congress Australia Adelaide 3037.Google Scholar
Tazaki, K. Aoki, A. Asada, R. and Yamamura, T., (1998) A new world in the science of biomineralization: Environmental biomineralization in microbial mats in Japan Science Report Kanazawa University XLII 165.Google Scholar
Tebo, B.M. Ghiorse, W.C. van Waasbergen, L.G. Siering, P.L. Caspi, R., Banfield, J.E. and Nealson, K.H., (1997) Bacterially mediated mineral formation: Insights into manganese (II) oxidation from molecular genetic and biochemical studies Geomicrobiology: Interactions Between Microbes and Minerals Washington, D.C. Mineralogical Society of America 534.Google Scholar
Yoshizu, K. and Tazaki, K., (1997) Role of microorganisms in iron and manganese mineral formation Mineralogical Journal of Japan 26 6972 10.2465/gkk1952.26.69.Google Scholar