Crystal growth of calcite in microbial mats in hot springs is controlled by microorganisms

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  • 温泉バイオマット中の微生物にコントロールされる方解石の結晶成長
  • オンセン バイオマット チュウ ノ ビセイブツ ニ コントロール サレル ホウカイセキ ノ ケッショウ セイチョウ

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Japan, acknowledged as a country with many volcanic activities, has various hot springs associated with colorful microbial mats (biomats). Biomineralization of calcite at Ogawa hot springs in Toyama Prefecture and Chugu hot springs in Ishikawa Prefecture have been investigated. Microbial calcite is formed in the both hot springs. Microbial calcite is covered with cyanobacteria to form thread-ball structure, so-called "Itodemari-structure". In the case of Ogawa hot springs, biomats appear with black and green stripes along the flow of hot spring water. Cyanobacteria are 2.7 μm wide and those living in the black biomats, contain abundant S and Ca with traces of Al, Si and P while those in the green biomats are 1.1 μm wide contain abundant S and Ca with traces of Si, P and Cl. Cyanobacteria living in the green biomats of Chugu hot springs are 0.9 μm wide and contained abundant Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca and Fe.The color of the biomats is considered to reflect the size of the cyanobacteria. Under each biomat, calcite of different size was recognized. The mean diameter of calcite was 67.6 μm under the black and 38.0 μm under the green biomats, respectively. This phenomenon is also considered to be correlated with the size of the cyanobacteria. Light irradiated experiments showed that the fluctuation patterns of pH values are different between these biomats, due to the difference in the potential of photosynthesis. Further TEM observations showed that a number of spherical calcite are formed in bacterial adhesive, which suggests that bacteria in hot springs, play an important role for the nucleation of calcite under photosynthetic conditions, and control the crystal growth of calcite in forming thread-ball structure.

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