Microbial Geochemistry

Ein zeitgemäßer Beitrag zum Schutz unserer wertvollen Grundwasservorräte! In drei Teilen beschreibt dieser Band alle Aspekte der Mikrobiologie und Geochemie des Grundwassers. Teil 1 ist einem allgemeinen Überblick über die vorhandenen Mikroorganismen (Arten, Wachstum, Metabolismus, Genetik, Ökologie) gewidmet. Teil 2 befaßt sich mit Verteilung dieser Organismen im Grundwasser, Probennahme und geochemischen Modellen. Im Mittelpunkt des 3. Teils stehen mikrobiologische Prozesse in wasserführenden Schichten, die mit Chemikalien verunreinigt wurden. (10/00)

The difficult struggle to protect our valuable ground-water resources necessarily involves scientists and engineers from many disciplines. To prevail in this effort, these practitioners—including microbiologists, hydrogeologists, geoscientists, and environmental engineers—must have a common understanding of essential ground-water quality issues and problems. That includes a basic grasp of how microorganisms and microbial processes affect the chemistry of ground water in both pristine and chemically stressed aquifer systems. Ground-Water Microbiology and Geochemistry marks the first attempt to bridge the historical lack of communication among these disciplines by detailing—in language that cuts across specialties—the impact of microorganisms and microbial processes on ground-water systems. To bring these diverse practitioners together, the book has been organized in three parts, with each section addressing the information needs of specific disciplines. The first six chapters of Ground-Water Microbiology and Geochemistry provide an overview of microbiology that’s geared to geoscientists who may lack formal training in the field. Here, the book systematically covers the kinds of microorganisms found in subsurface environments, focusing on their growth, metabolism, genetics, and ecology. The second part of the book, which covers four chapters, speaks both to geoscientists and to microbiologists. It offers a hydrologic perspective on how microbial processes affect groundwater geochemistry in pristine systems—an important topic for geochemists since most ground-water reservoirs have not been chemically affected by human activities, and naturally occurring microbial processes have major impacts on water quality. At the same time, Part Two introduces microbiologists to the different classes of ground-water systems, and gives an overview of techniques for sampling subsurface environments. In addition, microbiologists gain an understanding of biogeochemical cycling in ground-water systems—in coverage that’s unique to this book—and of the classic geochemical modeling techniques that are used to study microbial processes. The final three chapters of Ground-Water Microbiology and Geochemistry focus in on microbial processes in contaminated ground-water systems—a topic of central concern to environmental scientists. In this concluding section, microbiologists see how degradation processes depend upon the hydrologic and geochemical environments within which they operate. Having achieved a basic knowledge of microbiological and biochemical concepts from the earlier chapters, geoscientists are fully prepared for this treatment of microbial acclimation and the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons and halogenated compounds. Ground-Water Microbiology and Geochemistry is as graphically impressive as it is far reaching. High-quality, computer-generated illustrations, of particular appeal to visually oriented geoscientists, can be found throughout the book. Equally important is the book’s unusually comprehensive bibliography, which, like the text itself, spans the relevant science and engineering disciplines. The importance of Ground-Water Microbiology and Geochemistry to geoscientists, hydrologists, and environmental scientists has been amply documented. The book should also be required reading for water planners and lawyers involved in environmental issues. It will also serve as a compelling text in upper undergraduate and graduate courses in ground-water chemistry.

This book is a contribution to the International Year of Planet Earth arising from the 33rd International Geological Congress, held in Oslo, Norway during August 2008. The first section of the book considers aspects of geochemical processes which led to the development of the solid Earth as it is today. The second portion of the book shows how the rapidly-evolving analytical tools and approaches presently used by geochemists may be used to solve emerging environmental and other societal problems. This unique collection of reviews, with contributions from a range of internationally distinguished scientists, will be invaluable reading for advanced students and others interested in the central role geochemistry in the earth sciences.

Microbes can respire on metals. This seemingly simple finding is one of the major discoveries that were made in the field of microbiology in the last few decades. The importance of this observation is evident. Metals are highly abundant on our planet. Iron is even the most abundant element on Earth and the forth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust. Hence, in some environments iron, but also other metals or metalloids, are the dominant respiratory electron acceptors. Their reduction massively drives the carbon cycle in these environments and establishes redox cycles of the metallic electron acceptors themselves. These redox cycles are not only a driving force for other biotic reactions but are furthermore necessary for initiating a number of geochemically relevant abiotic redox conversions. Although widespread and ecologically influential, electron transfer onto metals like ferric iron or manganese is biochemically challenging. The challenge is to transfer respiratory electrons onto metals that occur in nature at neutral pH in the form of metal oxides or oxihydroxides that are effectively insoluble. Obviously, it is necessary that the microbes specially adapt in order to catalyze the electron transfer onto insoluble electron acceptors. The elucidation of these adaptations is an exciting ongoing process. To sum it up, dissimilatory metal reduction has wide-spread implications in the field of microbiology, biochemistry and geochemistry and its discovery was one of the major reasons to establish a novel scientific field called geomicrobiology. Recently, the discovery of potential applications of dissimilatory metal reducers in bioremediation or current production in a microbial fuel cell further increased the interest in studying microbial metal reduction.

Volume 35 of Reviews in Mineralogy defines and explore the topic of geomicrobiology. It is organized so as to first introduce the nature, diversity, and metabolic impact of microorganisms and the types of solid phases they interact with. This is followed by a discussion of processes that occur at cell surfaces, interfaces between microbes and minerals, and within cells, and the resulting mineral precipitation, dissolution, and changes in aqueous geochemistry. The volume concludes with a discussion of the carbon cycle over geologic time. Basis for this volume was the Short Course on Geomicrobiology presented by the Mineralogical Society of America on October 18 and 19, 1997, at the Alta Peruvian Lodge in Alta, Utah.

The goal for Volume 55 of Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry was to bring together a summary of the isotope geochemistry of non-traditional stable isotope systems as is known through 2003 for those elements that have been studied in some detail, and which have a variety of geochemical properties. In addition, recognizing that many of these elements are of interest to workers who are outside the traditional stable isotope fields, we felt it was important to include discussions on the broad isotopic variations that occur in the solar system, theoretical approaches to calculating isotopic fractionations, and the variety of analytical methods that are in use. We hope, therefore, that this volume proves to be useful to not only the isotope specialist, but to others who are interested in the contributions that these non-traditional stable isotopes may make toward understanding geochemical and biological cycles. The review chapters in this volume were the basis for a two-day short course on nontraditional stable isotopes held prior (May 15-16, 2004) to the spring AGU/CGU Meeting in Montreal, Canada.

Geomicrobiology is the study of microbes and microbial processes and their role in driving environmental and geological processes at scales ranging from the nano, micron, to meter scale. This growing field has seen major advances in recent years, largely due to the development of new analytical tools and improvements to existing techniques, which allow us to better understand the complex interactions between microbes and their surroundings. In this comprehensive handbook, expert authors outline the state-of-the-art and emerging analytical techniques used in geomicrobiology. Readers are guided through each technique including background theory, sample preparation, standard methodology, data collection and analysis, best practices and common pitfalls, and examples of how and where the technique has been applied. The book provides a practical go-to reference for advanced students, researchers and professional scientists looking to employ techniques commonly used in geomicrobiology.