Biomineralisationsprozesse, Biogeochemie und Biodiversität chemolithotropher Mikroorganismen im Tunnel von Äspö (Schweden)

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Wolfgang Liebl; Professor Dr. Joachim Reitner
• Subject Area: Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry
• Term: from 2005 to 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5471545

Microorganisms occurring at different depths in the Äspö Hard Rock laboratory (tunnel of Äspö) are studied as model systems for the biodiversity and structure of the deep continental biosphere, and the interaction of microbiological processes and mineral precipitation.Major aspects investigated are (1) the biodiversity of microbial systems including metagenomics, (2) metabolic pathways and biomineralization processes, including EPS-controlled selective cation binding and complex formation, (3) inorganic and organic biosignatures for biogeochemical processes involving deep biosphere microorganisms. The latter topic will emphasize miniaturized techniques for analysing small environmental samples (particularly GC/MS, ToF-SIMS, RAMAN-spectroscopy), and the establishment of biomarker proxies for a fossil deep biosphere.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 571: Geobiology of Organo- and Biofilms: Coupling of the Geosphere and the Biosphere by Microbial Processes
• Participating Persons: Professor Dr. Bent Tauber Hansen (†); Dr. Klaus Simon; Professor Dr. Volker Thiel