1. Is the availability of different nutrients a critical factor for the impact of bacteria on subterraneous carbon budgets?
- Author
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Portillo MC, Porca E, Cuezva S, Cañaveras JC, Sanchez-Moral S, and Gonzalez JM
- Subjects
- Acetates metabolism, Actinobacteria growth & development, Actinobacteria metabolism, Ammonium Chloride metabolism, Bacillus growth & development, Bacillus metabolism, Bacteria isolation & purification, Bacteria metabolism, Bioreactors, Carbon metabolism, Carbonates metabolism, Culture Media, Glucose metabolism, Humic Substances, Hydrogen-Ion Concentration, Nitrates metabolism, Peptones metabolism, Proteobacteria growth & development, Proteobacteria metabolism, Spain, Staphylococcus growth & development, Staphylococcus metabolism, Bacteria growth & development
- Abstract
Bacteria thriving in underground systems, such as karsts, adapt to use a variety of nutrients. Most of these nutrients derive from superficial processes. This study shows that bacteria are able to differentially induce carbonate precipitation or dissolution depending on the availability of nutrients for growth. Different bacterial strains isolated from caves, representing the most common components of these microbial communities, were cultured with different carbon and nitrogen sources (e.g., acetate, glucose, peptone, humic acids) and induced changes in pH were measured during growth. Carbonate can either precipitate or dissolve during bacterial growth. The induction of carbonate precipitates or their dissolution as a function of consumption of specific carbon sources revealed the existence of an active nutrient cycling process in karsts and links nutrients and environmental conditions to the existence of a highly significant carbon sink in subterraneous environments.
- Published
- 2009
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