Virtual Meeting Series

Lessons learned from studying marine chemolithoautotrophic communities on minerals

Iron-sulfides are some of the most abundant mineral types on Earth. In the deep-sea environment, iron-sulfides are commonly seen in sediments but also associated with hydrothermal vent fields, including seafloor massive sulfide deposits. An analysis of early microbial colonization on iron-sulfides was undertaken in the U.S. west and east coasts to gain perspectives on rapid utilization of iron-sulfides as potential electron donors by chemolithoautotrophic microbes with goals of understanding the interplay between neutrophilic autotrophic iron-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB). I will discuss the microbial ecology associated with these (and other) minerals and the opportunities that these setups provide for the successful cultivation of microaerobic FeOB and SOB, among other chemolithoautotrophs.

From microbes in nature to nature in microbes

Deliberate cultivation and isolation of microorganisms associated with rock-water reactions in oceanic crust provides direct understanding of microbial physiologies and metabolisms, and how they are expressed under controlled and measurable physicochemical conditions. Specifically, I will show how my cultivation studies with anaerobic hydrogenotrophs from seafloor and subseafloor environments inform understanding of microbial speciation and microbial community structure in hydrothermal ecosystems. Studying microbial responses to environmental parameters also advances their utility for biotechnological applications.