Manganese-oxidizing fungi and bacteria

The Science of Nature -     

Photoacoustic in-vivo spectra of recent stromatolites

In-vivo photoacoustic spectra (PAS) of pure cultures of cyanobacteria and photosynthetic bacteria (Chromatiaceae) which usually occur in stromatolitic microbial mats were measured. The PA spectra of the pure cultures were compared to PA spectra measured directly on different layers of microbial mats from Mellum (North Sea). The advantages of PAS of opaque, solid samples (e.g., sediment, rock), and of particle suspensions (e.g., light-scattering cell cultures with interference by sulfur globules) over conventional spectroscopy using classical in-vivo or extraction photometry are discussed.     

Interaction of marine sediment with DNA and DNA availability to nucleases

A method for the determination of DNA in sediments is described. The comparison between DNA extraction profiles from natural sediment samples and from precleaned sediments (concentrated nitric acid and subsequently 1 100 °C), to which known amounts of DNA were added, demonstrates that the sand particles participate in the delay of extraction of DNA we observed. Experiments with nuclease mixtures show that DNA by its interaction with the sediment is protected considerably against degradation by nucleases.     

O2 and H2S coexistence in stromatolites

The coexistence of O₂ and H₂S in recent microbial mats is demonstrated. Oxygen and H₂S are not only coexisting in considerable concentrations within recent stromatolites but high concentrations of the respective gases occur in alternating laminae. This “sandwich structure” is produced by alternating populations of oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria and cyanobaeteria. The finding of such conditions may explain the alternation of oxidized and reduced iron minerals in Precambrian stromatolites and possibly also in the banded iron formations (BIFs).