Characterization of the physiology and cell-mineral interactions of the marine anoxygenic phototrophic Fe(II) oxidizer Rhodovulum iodosum--implications for Precambrian Fe(II) oxidation.

Anoxygenic phototrophic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria (photoferrotrophs) are suggested to have contributed to the deposition of banded iron formations (BIFs) from oxygen-poor seawater. However, most studies evaluating the contribution of photoferrotrophs to Precambrian Fe(II) oxidation have used freshwater and not marine strains. Therefore, we investigated the physiology and mineral products of Fe(II) oxidation by the marine photoferrotroph Rhodovulum iodosum. Poorly crystalline Fe(III) minerals formed initially and transformed to more crystalline goethite over time. During Fe(II) oxidation, cell surfaces were largely free of minerals. Instead, the minerals were co-localized with EPS suggesting that EPS plays a critical role in preventing cell encrustation, likely by binding Fe(III) and directing precipitation away from cell surfaces. Fe(II) oxidation rates increased with increasing initial Fe(II) concentration (0.43-4.07 mM) under a light intensity of 12 μmol quanta m(-2) s(-1). Rates also increased as light intensity increased (from 3 to 20 μmol quanta m(-2) s(-1)), while the addition of Si did not significantly change Fe(II) oxidation rates. These results elaborate on how the physical and chemical conditions present in the Precambrian ocean controlled the activity of marine photoferrotrophs and confirm the possibility that such microorganisms could have oxidized Fe(II), generating the primary Fe(III) minerals that were then deposited to some Precambrian BIFs.