ANR SIGMAG – english version
Start: 01/10/2018 - End: 31/12/2022
Coordinator(s): Vincent Busigny
Related team(s):
Géochimie des isotopes stables
SIGNATURE OF MAGNETITE PRODUCED BY MAGNETOTACTIC BACTERIA: CHEMICAL AND ISOTOPIC PERSPECTIVES
Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) synthesize magnetite crystals within their cell. Although MTB may represent some of the oldest biomineralizing microbial organisms on Earth, their identification in the rock record has remained elusive.
In the present proposal, we aim at testing and improving new chemical (trace elements) and isotopic (Fe) proxies for identification of MTB.
Two main tasks will be achieved:
- (1) laboratory experiments to explore chemical and isotopic signatures of MTB strains under various culture conditions,
- (2) analysis of modern MTB in their environment to determine if the conclusions derived from laboratory experiments can be translated to natural systems.
This multidisciplinary project, which gathers experts in biology, mineralogy, and elemental and isotope geochemistry, will pave the way for future geochemical studies of MTB search in the sedimentary record.
PI of the SIGMAG project: Vincent Busigny ()
