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Impacts on Sedimentary Microbial Communities Related to Temporal Changes in Trace Metal Concentrations
Christopher K Jones1, Jessica M Labonté2, Lauren A Haygood3
1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California, USA.
Geobiology
|July 9, 2025
Summary
Marine sediment microbial communities shift due to diagenesis, with metals like manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), silver (Ag), and thallium (Tl) driving these changes. This reveals crucial feedbacks in Earth's biogeochemical cycles.
Area of Science:
- Geochemistry and Microbiology
- Marine Biogeochemistry
- Deep Biosphere Research
Background:
- Microbial processes in marine sediments control element cycling and redox conditions.
- Trace metals are essential for microbial communities but can be inhibitory at high concentrations.
- Diagenesis releases trace elements from iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) oxides, impacting microbial metabolism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze geochemical and microbiological changes in marine sediments during simulated diagenesis.
- To investigate the role of trace metals mobilized during diagenesis on microbial community structure.
- To understand the feedbacks between metal cycling and microbial communities in deep biosphere environments.
Main Methods:
- Geochemical and microbiological analyses of sediment cores from the East Scotia Ridge.
- Anaerobic incubation of sediment samples to simulate diagenetic processes.
- Analysis of major, minor, and trace metals, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing at 4-month intervals.
Main Results:
- Mobilization of Mn and trace metals (Mo, Ni, Tl, Cu) during early diagenesis.
- Significant shifts in microbial community composition, with a decrease in diversity metrics.
- Statistical correlation between porewater metal concentrations (Mn, Co, Ag, Tl) and microbial community structure.
Conclusions:
- Fe and Mn (oxyhydr)oxides act as shuttles for trace metals, influencing the deep biosphere.
- Diagenetically cycled metals significantly impact marine microbial communities and biogeochemical cycles.
- Findings provide insights into metabolic pathway evolution and Earth's history.
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