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Publications > Journal Article
Astrobiology
Olivine-Respiring Bacteria Isolated from the Rock-Ice Interface in a Lava-Tube Cave, a Mars Analog Environment
Authors: Radu Popa, Amy R. Smith, Rodica Popa, Jane Boone, Martin R. Fisk
Published: January 1, 2012
C-DEBI Contribution Number: 155

Abstract

The boundary between ice and basalt on Earth is an analogue for some near-surface environments of Mars. We investigated neutrophilic iron-oxidizing microorganisms from the basalt-ice interface in a lava tube from the Oregon Cascades with perennial ice. One of the isolates (Pseudomonas sp. HerB) can use ferrous iron Fe(II) from the igneous mineral olivine as an electron donor and O2 as an electron acceptor. The optimum growth temperature is ∼12–14°C, but growth also occurs at 5°C. Bicarbonate is a facultative source of carbon. Growth of Pseudomonas sp. HerB as a chemolithotrophic iron oxidizer with olivine as the source of energy is favored in low O2 conditions (e.g., 1.6% O2). Most likely, microbial oxidation of olivine near pH 7 requires low O2 to offset the abiotic oxidation of iron. The metabolic capabilities of this bacterium would allow it to live in near-surface, icy, volcanic environments of Mars in the present or recent geological past and make this type of physiology a prime candidate in the search for life on Mars.
Source: http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/ast.2011.0639

Related Items

Awards
Awards > Graduate Fellowships
Award Dates: September 24, 2012 — December 23, 2014
Modeling rates of olivine bioweathering in ocean crust
Awardee: Amy R. Smith (Oregon State University)
Current Placement: Postdoctoral Researcher, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Advisor: Frederick S. Colwell (Oregon State University)
Awards > Research Grants
Award Dates: June 1, 2011 — May 31, 2013
Genetic diversity and distribution of microbes colonizing igneous minerals and glasses incubated in IODP Hole 1301A on the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge
PI: Radu Popa (Portland State University)
Co-Is: Amy R. Smith (Portland State University),
Current Placement: Postdoctoral Researcher, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Gilberto E. Flores (Portland State University), Martin R. Fisk (Portland State University)

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