Microbial Fe(II) oxidation by Sideroxydans lithotrophicus ES-1 in the presence of Schlöppnerbrunnen fen derived humic acids

FEMS Microbiology Ecology
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Abstract

Controlled laboratory experiments were combined with field measurements to better understand the interactions between dissolved organic matter (DOM) and reduced iron in organic-rich peatlands. Addition of peat-derived humic acid extract (HA) to Sideroxydans lithotrophicus ES-1 liquid cultures led to higher cell numbers and up to 1.4 times higher Fe(II) oxidation rates compared to chemical controls. This effect was positively correlated with increasing HA concentrations. Similar Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxide mineralogies were formed both abiotically and biotically irrespective of HA amendment, but minerals formed in the presence of ES-1 and HA were smaller. ES-1 growth with HA promoted aggregation of Fe(III) products in agarose-stabilized gradient tubes as shown by voltammetric profiling. In situ voltammetry in an acidic, iron-rich peatland revealed a gap between oxygen penetration and iron reduction that may reflect active Fe(II)-oxidizing microorganisms. The highest abundance of Fe(II) oxidizers Sideroxydans (4.9 x 107 gene copies gww-1) and Gallionella (1.5 x 107 gene copies gww-1) in the upper peat layer coincided with small-sized minerals resembling nanoparticulate ferrihydrite or goethite. Our results suggest that microbially-mediated Fe(II) oxidation dominates in the presence of DOM leading to the formation of nano-sized biogenic Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides that might be are readily bioavailable and likely important to iron and carbon cycling.
Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Microbial Fe(II) oxidation by Sideroxydans lithotrophicus ES-1 in the presence of Schlöppnerbrunnen fen derived humic acids
Series title FEMS Microbiology Ecology
DOI 10.1093/femsec/fiz034
Volume 94
Issue 4
Year Published 2019
Language English
Publisher Oxford University Press
Contributing office(s) WMA - Earth System Processes Division
Description Article fiz034
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