The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Progressive biogeochemical transformation of placer gold particles drives compositional changes in associated biofilm communities

Progressive biogeochemical transformation of placer gold particles drives compositional changes in associated biofilm communities
Progressive biogeochemical transformation of placer gold particles drives compositional changes in associated biofilm communities
Biofilms on placer gold (Au)-particle surfaces drive Au solubilization and re-concentration thereby progressively transforming the particles. Gold solubilization induces Au-toxicity; however, Au-detoxifying community members ameliorates Au-toxicity by precipitating soluble Au to metallic Au. We hypothesize that Au-dissolution and re-concentration (precipitation) places selective pressures on associated microbial communities, leading to compositional changes and subsequent Au-particle transformation. We analyzed Au-particles from eight United Kingdom sites using next generation sequencing, electron microscopy and micro-analyses. Gold particles contained biofilms composed of prokaryotic cells and extracellular polymeric substances intermixed with (bio)minerals. Across all sites communities were dominated by Proteobacteria (689, 97% Operational Taxonomic Units, 59.3% of total reads), with β-Proteobacteria being the most abundant. A wide range of Au-morphotypes including nanoparticles, micro-crystals, sheet-like Au and secondary rims, indicated that dissolution and re-precipitation occurred, and from this transformation indices were calculated. Multivariate statistical analyses showed a significant relationship between the extent of Au-particle transformation and biofilm community composition, with putative metal-resistant Au-cycling taxa linked to progressive Au transformation. These included the genera Pseudomonas, Leptothrix and Acinetobacter. Additionally, putative exoelectrogenic genera Rhodoferax and Geobacter were highly abundant. In conclusion, biogeochemical Au-cycling and Au-particle transformation occurred at all sites and exerted a strong influence on biofilm community composition.
1-15
Rea, Maria Angelica
98b93d72-6c0b-44bc-8fec-3e19a593adc3
Standish, Christopher
0b996271-da5d-4c4f-9e05-a2ec90e8561d
Shuster, Jeremiah
5954479d-e465-4f7d-a52f-305b5f5eeb88
Bissett, Andrew
0f232202-2048-422e-8477-901641877612
Reith, Frank
ac0e731d-a4c1-447c-8cd5-ad8db244d109
Rea, Maria Angelica
98b93d72-6c0b-44bc-8fec-3e19a593adc3
Standish, Christopher
0b996271-da5d-4c4f-9e05-a2ec90e8561d
Shuster, Jeremiah
5954479d-e465-4f7d-a52f-305b5f5eeb88
Bissett, Andrew
0f232202-2048-422e-8477-901641877612
Reith, Frank
ac0e731d-a4c1-447c-8cd5-ad8db244d109

Rea, Maria Angelica, Standish, Christopher, Shuster, Jeremiah, Bissett, Andrew and Reith, Frank (2018) Progressive biogeochemical transformation of placer gold particles drives compositional changes in associated biofilm communities. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 94 (6), 1-15, [fiy080]. (doi:10.1093/femsec/fiy080).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Biofilms on placer gold (Au)-particle surfaces drive Au solubilization and re-concentration thereby progressively transforming the particles. Gold solubilization induces Au-toxicity; however, Au-detoxifying community members ameliorates Au-toxicity by precipitating soluble Au to metallic Au. We hypothesize that Au-dissolution and re-concentration (precipitation) places selective pressures on associated microbial communities, leading to compositional changes and subsequent Au-particle transformation. We analyzed Au-particles from eight United Kingdom sites using next generation sequencing, electron microscopy and micro-analyses. Gold particles contained biofilms composed of prokaryotic cells and extracellular polymeric substances intermixed with (bio)minerals. Across all sites communities were dominated by Proteobacteria (689, 97% Operational Taxonomic Units, 59.3% of total reads), with β-Proteobacteria being the most abundant. A wide range of Au-morphotypes including nanoparticles, micro-crystals, sheet-like Au and secondary rims, indicated that dissolution and re-precipitation occurred, and from this transformation indices were calculated. Multivariate statistical analyses showed a significant relationship between the extent of Au-particle transformation and biofilm community composition, with putative metal-resistant Au-cycling taxa linked to progressive Au transformation. These included the genera Pseudomonas, Leptothrix and Acinetobacter. Additionally, putative exoelectrogenic genera Rhodoferax and Geobacter were highly abundant. In conclusion, biogeochemical Au-cycling and Au-particle transformation occurred at all sites and exerted a strong influence on biofilm community composition.

Text
fiy080 - Accepted Manuscript
Download (2MB)
Text
Rea et al 2018 Revised Manuscript - Other
Restricted to Repository staff only
Request a copy

More information

Accepted/In Press date: 1 May 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 3 May 2018
Published date: 1 June 2018

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 420736
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/420736
PURE UUID: 073fc13b-b85d-4687-81bf-9bad79b59bef
ORCID for Christopher Standish: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9726-295X

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 14 May 2018 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 06:35

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: Maria Angelica Rea
Author: Jeremiah Shuster
Author: Andrew Bissett
Author: Frank Reith

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×