An appraisal of biological responses and network of environmental interactions in non-mining and mining impacted coastal waters.

The coastal waters of Goa and Ratnagiri lying on the West coast of India are influenced by terrestrial influx. However, Goa is influenced anthropogenically by iron-ore mining, while Ratnagiri is influenced by deposition of heavy minerals containing iron brought from the hinterlands. We hypothesize that there could be a shift in biological response along with changes in network of interactions between environmental and biological variables in these mining and non-mining impacted regions, lying 160 nmi apart. Biological and environmental parameters were analyzed during pre-monsoon season. Except silicates, the measured parameters were higher at Goa and related significantly, suggesting bacteria centric, detritus-driven region. At Ratnagiri, phytoplankton biomass related positively with silicate suggesting a region dominated by primary producers. This dominance perhaps got reflected as a higher tertiary yield. Thus, even though the regions are geographically proximate, the different biological response could be attributed to the differences in the web of interactions between the measured variables.

Mobilization of manganese by basalt associated Mn(II)-oxidizing bacteria from the Indian Ridge System.

The Indian Ridge System basalt bearing Mn-oxide coatings had todorokite as the major and birnesite as the minor mineral. We posit that microorganisms associated with these basalts participate in the oxidation of Mn and contribute to mineral deposition. We also hypothesized that, the Mn-oxidizing microbes may respond reversibly to pulses of fresh organic carbon introduced into the water column by mobilizing the Mn in Mn-oxides. To test these two hypotheses, we enumerated the number of Mn-oxidizers and -reducers and carried out studies on the mobilization of Mn by microbial communities associated with basalt. In medium containing 100 µM Mn(2+), 10(3) colony forming units (CFU) were recovered with undetectable number of reducers on Mn-oxide amended medium, suggesting that the community was more oxidative. Experiments were then conducted with basalt fragments at 4±2 °C in the presence 'G(+)' and absence 'G(-)' of glucose (0.1%). Controls included set-ups, some of which were poisoned with 15 mM azide and the others of which were heat-killed. The mobilization of Mn in the presence of glucose was 1.76 µg g(-1) d(-1) and in the absence, it was 0.17 µg g(-1) d(-1) after 150 d. Mn mobilization with and without added glucose was 13 and 4 times greater than the corresponding azide treated controls. However, rates in 'G(+)' were 16 times and 'G(-)' 24 times more than the respective heat killed controls. The corresponding total counts in the presence of added glucose increased from 1.63×10(6) to 6.71×10(7) cells g(-1) and from 1.41×10(7) to 3.52×10(7) cells g(-1) in its absence. Thus, the addition of glucose as a proxy for organic carbon changed the community's response from Mn(II)-oxidizing to Mn(IV)-reducing activity. The results confirm the participation of Mn oxidizing bacteria in the mobilization of Mn. Identification of culturable bacteria by 16S rRNA gene analysis showed taxonomic affiliations to Bacillus, Exiguobacterium, Staphylococcus, Brevibacterium and Alcanivorax sp.

Manganese oxidation by bacteria: biogeochemical aspects.

Manganese is an essential trace metal that is not as readily oxidizable like iron. Several bacterial groups posses the ability to oxidize Mn effectively competing with chemical oxidation. The oxides of Mn are the strongest of the oxidants, next to oxygen in the aquatic environment and therefore control the fate of several elements. Mn oxidizing bacteria have a suit of enzymes that not only help to scavenge Mn but also other associated elements, thus playing a crucial role in biogeochemical cycles. This article reviews the importance of manganese and its interaction with microorganisms in the oxidative Mn cycle in aquatic realms.

Chemosynthetic activity prevails in deep-sea sediments of the Central Indian Basin.

It is hypothesized that in the deep-sea, under psychrophilic, barophilic and oligotrophic conditions, microbial community of Central Indian Basin (CIB) sediments could be chemosynthetic. In the dark, at near ambient temperature, 4 ± 2°C, 500 atm pressure, pelagic red clay could fix carbon at rates ranging from 100 to 500 nmol C g(-1) dry wt day(-1). These clays accumulate in the deepest and the most remote areas of the ocean and contain <30% biogenic material. These clays with volcanic signatures fixed 230-9,401 nmol C g(-1) dry wt day(-1) while siliceous radiolarian oozes of the basin fixed only 5-45 nmol C g(-1) dry wt day(-1). These rates are comparable to those of white smoker waters and are 1-4 orders of magnitude less than those of bacterial mats and active vents recorded at other localities worldwide. The experimental ratios of carbon fixation to metal oxidation in the sediments were 0-1 order of magnitude higher than the corresponding average theoretical ratio of 0.0215 (0.0218, 0.0222, 0.0207 and 0.0211 for Fe, Mn, Co and Ni, respectively) in the siliceous ooze. In case of pelagic red clay it was 0-2 orders higher than theoretical ratio. Thus, chemosynthetic activity could be more widespread, albeit at low rates, than previously considered for abyssal basins. These environments may be dependent partially or even wholly on in situ microbial primary production for their carbon requirements rather than on photosynthetically derived detritus from surface waters.

Cobalt immobilization by manganese oxidizing bacteria from the Indian ridge system.

Co immobilization by two manganese oxidizing isolates from Carlsberg Ridge waters (CR35 and CR48) was compared with that of Mn at same molar concentrations. At a lower concentration of 10 µM, CR35 and CR48 immobilized 22 and 23 fM Co cell(-1) respectively, which was 1.4 to 2 times higher than that of Mn oxidation, while at 10 mM the immobilization was 15-69 times lower than that of Mn. Scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray analyses of intact bacterial cells grown in 1 mM Co revealed Co peaks showing extracellular binding of the metal. However, it was evident from transmission electron microscope analyses that most of the sequestered Co was bound intracellularly along the cell membrane in both the isolates. Change in morphology was one of the strategies bacteria adopted to counter metal stress. The cells grew larger and thus maintained a lower than normal surface area-volume ratio on exposure to Co to reduce the number of binding sites. An unbalanced growth with increasing Co additions was observed in the isolates. Cells attained a length of 10-18 µm at 10 mM Co which was 11-15 times the original cell length. Extensive cell rupture indicated that Co was harmful at this concentration. It is apparent that biological and optimal requirement of Mn is more than Co. Thus, these differences in the immobilization of the two metals could be driven by the differences in the requirement, cell physiology and the affinities of the isolates for the concentrations of the metals tested.