Metabolic Influence of Psychrophilic Diatoms on Travertines at the Huanglong Natural Scenic District of China

Shiyong Sun, Faqin Dong, Hermann Ehrlich, Xueqing Zhao, Mingxue Liu, Qunwei Dai, Qiongfang Li, Dejun An and Hailiang Dong
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Shiyong Sun: Department of Geological and Mineral Engineering, Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recycle & Fundamental Science on Nuclear Waste and Environmental Security Laboratory, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China
Faqin Dong: Department of Geological and Mineral Engineering, Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recycle & Fundamental Science on Nuclear Waste and Environmental Security Laboratory, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China
Hermann Ehrlich: Institute of Experimental Physics, Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, Freiberg 09599, Germany
Xueqing Zhao: Department of Geological and Mineral Engineering, Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recycle & Fundamental Science on Nuclear Waste and Environmental Security Laboratory, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China
Mingxue Liu: Department of Geological and Mineral Engineering, Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recycle & Fundamental Science on Nuclear Waste and Environmental Security Laboratory, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China
Qunwei Dai: Department of Geological and Mineral Engineering, Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recycle & Fundamental Science on Nuclear Waste and Environmental Security Laboratory, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China
Qiongfang Li: Department of Geological and Mineral Engineering, Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Resource Recycle & Fundamental Science on Nuclear Waste and Environmental Security Laboratory, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China
Dejun An: Huanglong National Scenic Resort Administrative Bureau, Songpan 623300, China
Hailiang Dong: Department of Geology and Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA

IJERPH, 2014, vol. 11, issue 12, 1-13

Abstract: Diatoms are a highly diversified group of algae that are widely distributed in aquatic ecosystems, and various species have different nutrient and temperature requirements for optimal growth. Here, we describe unusual psychrophilic diatoms of Cymbella in a travertine deposition environment in southwestern China in winter season. Travertine surfaces are colonized by these psychrophilic diatoms, which form biofilms of extracellular polysaccharide substances (EPS) with active metabolic activities in extremely cold conditions. The travertine in Huanglong, is a typical single crystalline calcite with anisotropic lattice distortions of unit cell parameters along axes of a and c , and this structure is suggestive of some level of metabolic mediation on mineralization. Near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) results further confirmed the occurrence of biogenic distortion of the crystal lattice of travertine calcite. Overall, our results imply that the metabolic influence of psychrophilic diatoms may be particularly important for promoting formation and dissolution of travertine in extremely cold environments of Huanglong. The EPS of psychrophilic diatoms will protect travertine from HCO 3 ? etching and provide template for forming travertine when water re-flowing, in warm season.

Keywords: psychrophilic diatom; metabolic interactions; travertine; biomineralization; Huanglong (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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