Rates and pathways of CH oxidation in ferruginous Lake Matano, Indonesia.

This study evaluates rates and pathways of methane (CH ) oxidation and uptake using C-based tracer experiments throughout the oxic and anoxic waters of ferruginous Lake Matano. Methane oxidation rates in Lake Matano are moderate (0.36 nmol L  day to 117 μmol L  day ) compared to other lakes, but are sufficiently high to preclude strong CH fluxes to the atmosphere.

Recovering cellular biomass from fluids using chemical flocculation.

We developed an efficient, scalable and inexpensive method for recovering cellular biomass from complex fluid matrices that cannot be processed using conventional filtration methods. The method uses chemical flocculation with iron oxyhydroxides, is capable of recovering greater than 90% of cellular biomass from fluids with more than 10 cells ml , and was validated using both mock communities and field samples. High quality DNA can be readily extracted from iron flocs using standard soil extraction kits.

Photoferrotrophs thrive in an Archean Ocean analogue.

Considerable discussion surrounds the potential role of anoxygenic phototrophic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria in both the genesis of Banded Iron Formations (BIFs) and early marine productivity. However, anoxygenic phototrophs have yet to be identified in modern environments with comparable chemistry and physical structure to the ancient Fe(II)-rich (ferruginous) oceans from which BIFs deposited. Lake Matano, Indonesia, the eighth deepest lake in the world, is such an environment.