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Chemolithotrophs: The Primary Producers of Acidic Geothermal Springs
Whether you are looking for life on other planets, or wondering what life
may have been like in primitive environments on earth, acidic geothermal springs
of Yellowstone National Park may provide important clues. The thermophilic
organisms in these systems not only thrive at high temperatures, they contend
with acidic waters and toxic elements such as ar senic, sulfide, mercury and
boron. The Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park contains many acidic
(pH<3), arsenic-rich geothermal springs that do not support the growth of
photosynthetic microorganisms. Conversely, these geothermal ecosystems are
rich in chemical energy in the form of reduced species such as methane (CH4),
hydrogen (H2), sulfide (H2S), arsenite (H3AsIIIO3) and ferrous iron (FeII).
Thermal Biology Institute scientists McDermott and Inskeep are focused on the
unique microbial populations inhabiting the extreme thermal environments that
would be considered Superfund sites if they were not naturally occurring geothermal
features of a National Park! Indeed, these extreme environments are thought
to be possible analogs of primitive environments on earth and may prove to
contain microorganisms with novel metabolisms that have yet to be discovered.
Their work is also the focus of an NSF-funded Microbial Observatory in Chemolithotrophyon
acid-sulfate-chloride geothermal springs, where discovery is centered on the
hypothesis that an understanding of microbial sequence diversity in nature
will ultimately originate from a detailed description of the geochemical habitats
and associated microbial physiologies that have defined the evolutionary history
of adapted microbial populations. Inskeep and McDermott believe that a multidisciplinary
approach in microbiology, microbial ecology and geochemistry is necessary to
unravel the secrets of microbial life adapted to these extreme environments.
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