Diana E. Northup

University of New Mexico

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Penelope J. Boston

Ames Research Center

M. Spilde

University of New Mexico

Larry L. Barton

University of New Mexico

Jennifer Hathaway

University of New Mexico

Ara S. Winter

University of New Mexico

M. Spilde

University of New Mexico

Leslie A. Melim

Western Illinois University

Jason C. Kimble

University of New Mexico

Maria de Lurdes Enes Dapkevicius

Universidade dos Açores

Debbie C. Buecher

Cooperative Institutions

University of New Mexico

United States Geological Survey

Institut Philippe Pinel de Montréal

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

Universidade dos Açores

University of South Florida

Georg Simon Ohm University of Applied Sciences Nuremberg

University of Helsinki

University of California, Berkeley

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

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8. Microbial Diversity and Ecology of Lava Caves

De Gruyter eBooks (2015)

Diana E. Northup Kathleen H. Lavoie

10.1515/9783110339888-010

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Citations (10)

International Journal of Speleology (2013)

Jo De Waele Philippe Audra José María Calaforra Russell N. Drysdale Franci Gabrovšek

10.5038/1827-806x.42.2

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Citations (12)

Mineral Biomarkers for Extraterrestrial Caves

M. Spilde J. J. Medley Diana E. Northup P. J. Boston

Extraterrestrial Life

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Citations (1)

A Biosignature Suite from Cave Pool Precipitates, Cottonwood Cave, New Mexico

Astrobiology (2009)

Leslie A. Melim R. Liescheidt Diana E. Northup M. Spilde Penelope J. Boston

Calcite cave pool precipitates often display a variety of potential biosignatures from the macroscopic to the submicroscopic. A fossil cave pool in Cottonwood Cave, New Mexico, exhibits older stalactites and stalagmites that are completely coated in brown, laminated calcitic crust that extends down as pool fingers and u-loops. The pool fingers and u-loops are mainly micrite to clotted micrite, some recrystallized to microspar, with some isopachous spar layers. Micrite, particularly clotted micrite, is usually interpreted by carbonate workers as microbial in origin. Scanning electron microscopy examination of etched pool fingers, u-loops, and the brown crust revealed abundant calcified microbial filaments and biofilm. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis showed that these features have excess carbon, above that found in pure calcite. Independent carbon analysis indicated that these same samples contain up to 0.2% organic carbon. Since pool fingers hang down but form underwater, we hypothesize they are biogenic with hanging microbial filaments or biofilm acting as nuclei for calcite precipitation. Because of the abundance of micrite and fossil filaments, we further hypothesize that these pendant features formed during a period of plentiful nutrients and active hydrological activity when the pool was literally dripping with microbial slime. Although each of these lines of evidence could be interpreted in other ways, their combined weight strongly suggests the cave pool precipitates in Cottonwood Cave are biogenic. These investigations can be used to help inform extraterrestrial life-detection studies. Key Words: Biosignatures—Biofilm—Microbial fossils—Life detection—Ca carbonate biofabrics. Astrobiology 9, 907–917.

Micrite

10.1089/ast.2009.0345

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Citations (32)

Rock Coatings: Potential Biogenic Indicators

M. Spilde P. J. Boston Diana E. Northup K. J. Odenbach

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Ultraviolet radiation sensitivity in cave bacteria: evidence of adaptation to the subsurface?

International Journal of Speleology (2009)

Jessica R. Snider Caitlin Goin Robert V. Miller Penelope J. Boston Diana E. Northup

We hypothesize that a reduced capacity to withstand or repair cellular damage from ultraviolet radiation may be present in cave-adapted microorganisms that never experience such conditions. However, a small number of previous studies have shown that some subsurface bacteria do not show greater sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) than surface bacteria. To estimate UVR sensitivity in cave bacteria, bacterial isolates were collected from Carlsbad Cavern, New Mexico, U.S.A., and percent survival following exposure to various UVC and UVA radiation doses was determined. Cave bacteria from Left Hand Tunnel in Carlsbad Cavern and surface bacteria from soil and rocks above Carlsbad Cavern were grown on low and high nutrient media then exposed to 0, 10,000 and 20,000 μWs/ cm2 of UVR in a laboratory biological safety cabinet. Incubations were conducted at 15°C or 37ºC, in accordance with the isolates' natural temperature environments. In addition, DNA repair capacity was estimated by exposing the organisms to various doses of UVC radiation and measuring survivability. Gram status and pigmentation also were determined. Results showed that most of the cave isolates were more sensitive to UVR than the surface isolates, but survivability data suggest that cave microbes retain some of their capacity to repair UV-induced DNA damage. Selection appears to have favored bacteria that can survive in this low nutrient environment, while not maintaining (or paying the cost of maintaining) unneeded traits such as UVR resistance. Cave bacteria appear to have maintained DNA repair capacity, most likely because of the need to repair damage to their DNA from other environmental stressors found in caves.

10.5038/1827-806x.38.1.2

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Citations (28)

Microbial Processes Contributing to Biogeochemical Cycles

Microbial Ecology (2011)

Larry L. Barton Diana E. Northup

Biogeochemical Cycle

10.1002/9781118015841.ch10

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Superior Karst Management Through Superior Data Management: The Karst Information Portal

E. Spencer Fleury George H. Veni Todd A. Chavez Penelope J. Boston Diana E. Northup

Effective stewardship of caves and karst areas requires access to and efficient analysis of a diverse range of information. Vital data are scattered throughout specialty mainstream journals, which even for a single project could include fields such as ecology, hydrogeology, contaminant transport, toxicology, engineering geology and law. Additionally, volumes of crucial information often lie in difficult-to-find gray literature. Management recommendations and decisions should be based on assessments of state-of-the-art information, but fall short when important patterns and relationships are overlooked. The Karst Information Portal (KIP) offers a solution to these problems. Conceived in 2005 and launched in June 2007, KIP grew as a partnership among the International Union of Speleology, National Cave and Karst Research Institute, University of New Mexico, and University of South Florida. Key features complete or in development include: • Federated searches of Web sites for more efficient and reliable location of key research papers and information, • A searchable database of multidisciplinary karst information, • A library of on-line karst papers, reports and theses, • A collaborative international on-line workspace to post and evaluate images, maps, databases, and other published and unpublished information. Like other virtual research portals, KIP will continue to grow as existing and future partners contribute information by plugging Web sites and databases into the network. KIP will not duplicate existing databases but will more efficiently access and process them with superior tools. Additional partners can help fulfill

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Microbiology and geochemistry in a hydrogen-sulphide-rich karst environment

Chemical Geology (2000)

Louise D. Hose Arthur N. Palmer Margaret V. Palmer Diana E. Northup Penelope J. Boston

Hydrogen sulphide

10.1016/s0009-2541(00)00217-5

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Citations (228)

Geomicrobiology of Cave Ferromanganese Deposits: A Field and Laboratory Investigation

Geomicrobiology Journal (2005)

M. Spilde Diana E. Northup Penelope J. Boston Rachel T. Schelble Kathleen E. Dano

Abstract Unusual ferromanganese deposits are found in several caves in New Mexico. The deposits are enriched in iron and manganese by as much as three orders of magnitude over the bedrock, differing significantly in mineralogy and chemistry from bedrock-derived insoluble residue. The deposits contain metabolically active microbial communities. Enrichment cultures inoculated from the ferromanganese deposits produced manganese oxides that were initially amorphous but developed into crystalline minerals over an 8-month period and beyond; no such progression occurred in killed controls. Phylogenetic analyses of sequences from clone libraries constructed from culture DNA identified two genera known to oxidize manganese, but most clones represent previously unknown manganese oxidizers. We suggest that this community is breaking down the bedrock and accumulating iron and manganese oxides in an oligotrophic environment.

Ferromanganese

Geomicrobiology

Bedrock

Bioinorganic chemistry

Authigenic

10.1080/01490450590945889

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Citations (118)