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Geomicrobiology: Latest Advances and Prospects
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Geomicrobiology: Latest Advances and Prospects

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2025 | Viewed by 4842

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Cesareo Saiz-Jimenez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia, IRNAS-CSIC, 41012 Sevilla, Spain
Interests: cultural heritage; air pollution; geochemistry; biodeterioration; geomicrobiology; environmental microbiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Valme Jurado Lobo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia, IRNAS-CSIC, 41012 Sevilla, Spain
Interests: environmental microbiology; molecular microbiology; microbial taxonomy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Geomicrobiology is the study of the role of microbes in the geosphere, and encompasses the interaction of microbial life with the Earth. The awareness of a deep microbial biosphere has advanced over the last several decades due to the application of molecular techniques and the discovery of an incredible variety of genotypes and species in habitats above or below the Earth’s surface. In the last several decades, geomicrobiology has evolved into a broad field encompassing a wide range of environmental and geochemical significant processes, such as those occurring in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, marine and lacustrine sediments, ore deposits, petroleum reservoirs, deep terrestrial subsurfaces, caves, mines, extremely acidic environments, etc.

The aim of this Special Issue on “Geomicrobiology: Latest Advances and Prospects” is to provide a collection of innovative contributions that focus on current research, new methodologies, and recent advances in the field. We invite researchers to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that discuss the new trends regarding innovative geomicrobiological approaches. The keywords below are not meant to be limiting at all, and we will consider geomicrobiology in its widest sense in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Cesareo Saiz-Jimenez
Dr. Valme Jurado Lobo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • geomicrobiology of the deep biosphere
  • geomicrobiology of extreme environments
  • geomicrobiology of the built environment
  • microbe–mineral interactions
  • microbialites formation
  • biomineralization
  • bioleaching
  • biomining and bioremediation
  • aquatic geomicrobiology
  • biogeochemical cycles
  • microbial origins of life

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 11713 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Impact of Lichens on Saint Simeon Church, Paşabağ Valley (Cappadocia, Turkey): Potential Damaging Effects versus Protection from Rainfall and Winds
by Annalaura Casanova Municchia, Paolo Giordani, Yoko Taniguchi and Giulia Caneva
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(16), 6943; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14166943 - 8 Aug 2024
Viewed by 494
Abstract
The impact of lichens on the conservation of monuments, such as the World Heritage Site (WHS) of Cappadocian churches, presents a multifaceted challenge for conservators. Previous studies have shown that lichens can both induce deterioration processes of stone through their penetration into the [...] Read more.
The impact of lichens on the conservation of monuments, such as the World Heritage Site (WHS) of Cappadocian churches, presents a multifaceted challenge for conservators. Previous studies have shown that lichens can both induce deterioration processes of stone through their penetration into the substrate and chemical interactions as well as provide bioprotection, forming encrustations including calcium oxalate layers, which help mitigating the effects of weathering, reducing water penetration and eolian erosion. Evaluating the impact of lichens requires a comprehensive understanding of various factors, which include the type of rock substrate, the colonizing lichen species, the monument architecture, and the prevailing physic-chemical weathering processes. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the impact of lichen colonization on Saint Simeon Church in the Paşabağı Valley (Turkey) with a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the interplay between lichens, microclimatic conditions, and the degradation of stone. Specifically, this study examines the influence of wind-driven rain (WDR) occurrences on lichen distribution and stone weathering to develop comprehensive conservation strategies. The results confirmed the previous observations and showed a prevalence of the protective role of lichens over their deterioration. The northwest side of the church, despite being heavily impacted by environmental factors such as WDR and freezing–thawing cycles, showed reduced deterioration due to extensive lichen coverage. In contrast, the northeast side, with lower lichen colonization, demonstrated more severe deterioration. These findings suggest that integrating the protective aspects of lichen colonization into conservation strategies can enhance their preservation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geomicrobiology: Latest Advances and Prospects)
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24 pages, 26035 KiB  
Article
Looking for Microbial Biosignatures in All the Right Places: Clues for Identifying Extraterrestrial Life in Lava Tubes
by Joseph J. Medley, Jennifer J. M. Hathaway, Michael N. Spilde and Diana E. Northup
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(15), 6500; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14156500 - 25 Jul 2024
Viewed by 865
Abstract
Lava caves are home to a stunning display of secondary mineral speleothems, such as moonmilk and coralloids, as well as highly visible microbial mats. These features contain diverse and under-characterized groups of bacteria. The role of these bacteria in the formation of secondary [...] Read more.
Lava caves are home to a stunning display of secondary mineral speleothems, such as moonmilk and coralloids, as well as highly visible microbial mats. These features contain diverse and under-characterized groups of bacteria. The role of these bacteria in the formation of secondary mineral speleothems is just beginning to be investigated. The lava caves of the Big Island of Hawai`i and in El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico (USA), share many morphologically similar speleothems. This study focused on investigating the overlap in bacteria across a wide range of speleothems in these two geographically distant sites. Through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and 16S rRNA gene analysis, we found that Hawaiian caves have a greater alpha diversity and beta diversity separated by cave and speleothem type. Many Actinobacteriota were in higher abundance in New Mexico caves, while Hawaiian caves contained more bacteria that are unclassified at the genus and species level. Discovering the diversity in bacteria in these secondary speleothems will assist in identifying cave secondary mineral formations that may be good candidates for finding life on extraterrestrial bodies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geomicrobiology: Latest Advances and Prospects)
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21 pages, 27022 KiB  
Article
Microorganisms Isolated from Saharan Dust Intrusions in the Canary Islands and Processes of Mineral Atmospherogenesis
by Azahara Navarro, Ana del Moral, Irene de Pablos, Rafael Delgado, Jesús Párraga, Juan M. Martín-García and Fernando Martínez-Checa
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(5), 1862; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14051862 - 24 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1534
Abstract
Global warming due to climate change has increased the frequency of sand and dust storms that affect air quality and ecosystems in general, contributing to air pollution. The Sahara Desert is the most potent emitter of atmospheric dust. The atmosphere is an extreme [...] Read more.
Global warming due to climate change has increased the frequency of sand and dust storms that affect air quality and ecosystems in general, contributing to air pollution. The Sahara Desert is the most potent emitter of atmospheric dust. The atmosphere is an extreme environment and microorganisms living in the troposphere are exposed to greater ultraviolet radiation, desiccation, low temperatures and nutrient deprivation than in other habitats. The Iberian Peninsula, and specifically the Canary Islands—due to its strategic location—is one of the regions that receive more Saharan dust particles annually, increasing year after year, although culturable microorganisms had previously never been described. In the present work, dust samples were collected from three calima events in the Canary Islands between 2021 and 2022. The sizes, mineralogical compositions and chemical compositions of dust particles were determined by laser diffraction, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. Particle morphology and biological features were also studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The mineral–bacteria interactions were described from microscopic observations, which revealed the presence of iberulites and small neoformed kaolinite crystals in association with bacteria. This article defines the term “mineral atmospherogenesis” and its variant, “mineral bioatmospherogenesis”, through microbial interaction. This is the first described case of kaolinite produced through mineral bioatmospherogenesis. The bacterial growth in atmospheric dust was illustrated in SEM images, constituting a novel finding. Twenty-three culturable microorganisms were isolated and identified by 16S rRNA sequencing. Members of the phyla Pseudomonadota, Bacillota and Actinomycetota have been found. Some of these microorganisms, such as Peribacillus frigoritolerans, have Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) properties. Potential human pathogenic bacteria such as Acinetobacter lwoffii were also found. The presence of desert dust and iberulites in the Canary Islands, together with transported biological components such as bacteria, could have a significant impact on the ecosystem and human health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geomicrobiology: Latest Advances and Prospects)
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Review

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17 pages, 694 KiB  
Review
The Marine Bacterial Genus Euzebya Is Distributed Worldwide in Terrestrial Environments: A Review
by Jose Luis Gonzalez-Pimentel, Tamara Martin-Pozas, Valme Jurado, Leonila Laiz, Angel Fernandez-Cortes, Sergio Sanchez-Moral and Cesareo Saiz-Jimenez
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(17), 9644; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13179644 - 25 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1146
Abstract
The advent of molecular tools, and particularly next-generation sequencing, has dramatically changed our knowledge of the diversity of microbial life on Earth. In recent decades, many studies on different terrestrial environments have described the intriguing diversity and abundance of Euzebyales/Euzebyaceae/Euzebya, yet its [...] Read more.
The advent of molecular tools, and particularly next-generation sequencing, has dramatically changed our knowledge of the diversity of microbial life on Earth. In recent decades, many studies on different terrestrial environments have described the intriguing diversity and abundance of Euzebyales/Euzebyaceae/Euzebya, yet its role in the geochemical cycle of elements is unknown. In addition, as far as we know, no Euzebya isolates have been obtained from terrestrial niches. In this review, it is shown that Euzebya and other haloalkaliphilic bacteria can thrive under harsh conditions, such as high concentrations of sodium and/or calcium, high electric conductivity and alkaline pH, highly variable temperatures, and water fluctuations. These conditions are quasi-extreme in the studied terrestrial environments. However, the culture media used so far for isolation have failed to reproduce the original conditions of these terrestrial ecosystems, and this is likely the reason why strains of Euzebya and other bacteria that inhabit the same niche could not be isolated. It is expected that culture media reproducing the environmental conditions outlined in this review could cope with the isolation of terrestrial Euzebya and other haloalkaliphilic genera. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geomicrobiology: Latest Advances and Prospects)
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