( ions appropriate for energy metabolism....)Yellowstone microbes fueled by hydrogen, according to U. of Colorado study

ions appropriate for energy metabolism. The team used computer-generated thermodynamic models to find out if hydrogen was indeed the principle source of energy. "You can smell sulfide in the air at Yellowstone, and the accepted idea was that sulfur was the energy source for life in the hot springs," Spear said. Not so, according to the team's computer models built on field measurements of hydrogen, sulfide, dissolved oxygen concentration and other factors. Spear said it was difficult to explore a microbial ecosystem. "We have a hard enough time explaining what's going on in a forest, for example, with all the interlacing systems. We can't even see a microbial system." Sample extraction was a dangerous and delicate operation. In order to accurately analyze a hot spring's entire microbial community, Spear needed to collect only about as much material as a pencil eraser. Sediment samples were scooped into special sample vials and immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen canisters to preserve the microbial community. In springs where there was no sediment, Spear collected samples of planktonic organisms by hanging a glass slide in the water and allowing the microbes to accumulate. "Bacteria are just like us. They like to be together, they like to be attached to a surface and they like to have their food - dissolved hydrogen, in this case -- brought to them." Spear explained that the hot springs' colors are the result of interactions between minerals and the microbes living in the pools. Hotter water usually shows colors from minerals, and cooler water plays host to photosynthetic pigments. "Based on what I've seen in this analysis, I think hydrogen probably drives a lot of life in a lot of environments," Spear said. "It's part speculation, but given the number and kinds of bacteria that are metabolizing hydrogen, it's probably a very old form of metabolism. That's important because it tells us about the history of life on Earth," he said. "And if it works this way on Earth
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Source:University of Colorado at Boulder


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