Iron reduction as a viable metabolic pathway in Enceladus’ ocean

Author:

Roche Matthew J.ORCID,Fox-Powell Mark G.,Hamp Rachael E.,Byrne James M.

Abstract

AbstractRecent studies postulated the viability of a suite of metabolic pathways in Enceladus’ ocean motivated by the detection of H2and CO2in the plumes – evidence for available free energy for methanogenesis driven by hydrothermal activity at the moon's seafloor. However, these have not yet been explored in detail. Here, a range of experiments were performed to investigate whether microbial iron reduction could be a viable metabolic pathway in the ocean by iron-reducing bacteria such asGeobacter sulfurreducens. This study has three main outcomes: (i) the successful reduction of a number of crystalline Fe(III)-bearing minerals predicted to be present at Enceladus was shown to take place to differing extents using acetate as an electron donor; (ii) substantial bacterial growth in a simulated Enceladus ocean medium was demonstrated using acetate and H2(g)separately as electron donors; (iii) microbial iron reduction of ferrihydrite was shown to partially occur at pH 9, the currently accepted value for Enceladus’ ocean, whilst being severely hindered at the ambient ocean temperature of 0°. This study proposes the possibilities for biogeochemical iron cycling in Enceladus’ ocean, suggesting that a strain of iron-reducing bacteria can effectively function under Enceladus-like conditions.

Funder

UK Research and Innovation

Publisher

Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Subject

Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous),Space and Planetary Science,Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous),Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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