AUTHOR=Escudero Cristina , del Campo Adolfo , Ares Jose R. , Sánchez Carlos , Martínez Jose M. , Gómez Felipe , Amils Ricardo 

TITLE=Visualizing Microorganism-Mineral Interaction in the Iberian Pyrite Belt Subsurface: The Acidovorax Case

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.572104

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2020.572104

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Despite being considered an extreme environment, several studies have shown that life in the deep subsurface is abundant and diverse. Microorganisms inhabiting these systems live within the rock pores and, therefore, the geochemical and geohydrological characteristics of this matrix may influence the distribution of underground biodiversity. In this study, correlative fluorescence and Raman microscopy (Raman-FISH) was used to analyze the mineralogy associated with the presence of members of the genus <italic>Acidovorax</italic>, an iron oxidizing microorganisms, in native rock samples of the Iberian Pyrite Belt subsurface. Our results suggest a strong correlation between the presence of <italic>Acidovorax</italic> genus and pyrite, suggesting that the mineral might greatly influence its subsurface distribution.</p>