Journal Article
Science, vol. 347, iss. 6229, pp. 1473-1476, 2015
Authors
James M. Byrne, Nicole Klueglein, Carolyn Pearce, Kevin M. Rosso, Erwin Appel, Andreas Kappler
Abstract
Building a biogeochemical battery
Iron acts as both a source and sink of electrons for microorganisms in the environment. Some anaerobic bacteria use oxidized Fe(III) as an electron acceptor, whereas phototrophic bacteria can use reduced Fe(II) as an electron donor. Byrne
et al.
show that the iron-bearing mineral magnetite, which contains both Fe(II) and Fe(III), can serve as both an electron acceptor and donor. Cocultures of iron-reducing and iron-oxidizing bacteria exposed to simulated day/night cycles or changes in organic matter altered the ratio of Fe(II) to Fe(III) in magnetite particles.
Science
, this issue p.
1473
