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Microbial iron-redox cycling in subsurface environments.

Eric E Roden1

  • 1Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1215 West Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA. eroden@geology.wisc.edu

Biochemical Society Transactions
|November 27, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Microbes drive iron redox cycling in subsurface environments, using iron(II) for energy and iron(III) for respiration. This review synthesizes case studies on coupled iron oxidation and reduction, revealing novel pathways and organisms.

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Area of Science:

  • Geochemistry
  • Microbiology
  • Environmental Science

Background:

  • Iron is crucial for cellular electron transfer and undergoes extracellular redox transformations.
  • Microbial communities utilize iron(II) for energy and iron(III) as an electron acceptor in anaerobic respiration.
  • These processes facilitate cyclic iron oxidation and reduction in subsurface redox transition zones.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and synthesize case studies of iron-redox cycling in subsurface environments.
  • To highlight key biochemical aspects of extracellular iron-redox metabolisms.
  • To explore novel pathways and organisms involved in the redox cycling of insoluble iron-bearing minerals.

Main Methods:

  • Review and synthesis of existing case studies.
  • Analysis of field and experimental systems modeling subsurface redox gradients and fluctuations.
  • Investigation of biochemical aspects of microbial iron-redox metabolisms.

Main Results:

  • Iron redox cycling is a key microbial process in subsurface environments.
  • Coupled iron oxidation and reduction occur under common subsurface conditions.
  • Novel microbial pathways and organisms are involved in cycling insoluble iron minerals.

Conclusions:

  • Findings support rapid expansion of knowledge on microbial extracellular electron transfer mechanisms.
  • Closely coupled iron oxidation and reduction in the subsurface motivate the development of in situ molecular tools.
  • Understanding iron-redox cycling communities is essential for subsurface biogeochemical processes.