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The Role of Sulfate Reduction in Stromatolites and Microbial Mats: Ancient and Modern Perspectives

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STROMATOLITES: Interaction of Microbes with Sediments

Part of the book series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology ((COLE,volume 18))

Abstract

Sulfate reduction is an evolutionarily ancient process and sulfate-reducing microorganisms were likely key members of Precambrian stromatolite communities, as they are in modern photosynthetic microbial mats. Some of the highest rates of sulfate reduction ever measured have been observed in hypersaline microbial mats, supporting the view that sulfate respiration is a dominant carbon mineralization process in these communities. Sulfate consumption and the alkalinity that results from carbon utilization have also been linked to carbonate precipitation in lithified mats. Diverse groups of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), primarily members of the Deltaproteobacteria, have been found to live in stratified zones in microbial mats, some localized near the surface despite high levels of oxygenic photosynthesis by cyanobacteria. Culture studies have shown that some SRB can switch to aerobic metabolism under microaerophilic conditions; however, it is not known how SRB tolerate the very high levels found in situ. Possible strategies involve aggregation and diel migration. Recent application of technologies such as nanometer-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (nanoSIMS) and metagenomics to mats have enabled ultra fine-scale mapping of sulfate reduction activity and have broadened our understanding of how sulfur metabolism fits into the broader picture of microbial diversity and functionality.

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Acknowledgments

The author acknowledges the support and mentorship of Dr. David Stahl who introduced me to the amazing world of sulfate-reducing bacteria. The author’s work in Dr Stahl’s lab, upon which some of this is based, was supported by NSF-IGERT grant (DGE-9870713), NSF grant (DEB-0213186) and NASA NAI grant (NCC2-1273). He also acknowledges the editors Dr. Vinod C. Tewari and Dr. Joseph Seckbach for their kind invitation to contribute this chapter as well as the insightful suggestions for improvement by two peer reviewers Dr. Andreas Teske and Dr. Harald Strauss.

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, CA, 90840, USA

    Jesse G. Dillon

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Correspondence to Jesse G. Dillon .

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  1. , Sedimentology Group, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, General Mahadeo Singh Road 33, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248001, India

    Vinod Tewari

  2. University of Jerusalem, Mevo Hadas 20, Efrat, 90435, Israel

    Joseph Seckbach

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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

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Dillon, J.G. (2011). The Role of Sulfate Reduction in Stromatolites and Microbial Mats: Ancient and Modern Perspectives. In: Tewari, V., Seckbach, J. (eds) STROMATOLITES: Interaction of Microbes with Sediments. Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, vol 18. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0397-1_25

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