Hells Bells – unique speleothems from the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, generated under highly specific subaquatic conditions

Stinnesbeck, Wolfgang; Frey, Eberhard; Zell, Patrick; Avilés, Jerónimo; Hering, Fabio; Frank, Norbert; Arps, Jennifer; Geenen, Anna; Gescher, Johannes; Isenbeck‐Schröter, Margot; Ritter, Simon; Stinnesbeck, Sarah R.; Núñez, Eugenio Aceves; Dahne, Vicente Fito; González, Arturo Hernández; Deininger, Michael W.

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.10.012

Cited by 13 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…3a and b) and sulfate reduction is further supported by decreasing SO 2− 4 /Cl − ratios in the halocline of up to 32 % compared to the seawater ratio of 5.2 (Fig. 3c) (Stoessell et al, 1993).…”

Section: Sedimentary Biogeochemical Processesmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…In redoxclines below the photic zone the microbial community is dominated by chemolithoautotrophs, with a considerable amount of chemoautotrophic production and dark CO 2 fixation (e.g., Grote et al, 2008;Jørgensen et al, 1991;Jost et al, 2010;Noguerola et al, 2015). The development of pelagic redoxclines was also reported for deep density stratified cenotes of the YP (e.g., Socki et al, 2002;Stoessell et al, 1993;Torres-Talamente et al, 2011).…”

Section: Water Column Biogeochemical Processesmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…At El Zapote cenote, the halocline is about 10 m thick (Fig. 3a) in comparison to a transition zone thickness of 1-5 m of other cenotes of Quintana Roo (Kovacs et al, 2017b;Stoessell et al, 1993). The constant decrease of DIC, sulfide and orthophosphate below about 40 m water depth indicates a sink of these chemical species into depths greater than the cenote (> 54 m water depth).…”

Section: Limnological and Hydrological Conditions In El Zapote Cenotementioning

confidence: 92%

“…erences therein). Although Moore et al (1992) and Stoessell et al (1993) report that the thickness of the freshwater lens does not vary significantly between seasons or on a yearly basis, local and short-termed variations are possible and were reported by Escolero et al (2007), who documented a significant halocline elevation of up to 17.5 m between two measurements in the years 2000 and 2003.…”

Section: Geological Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 95%

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Subaqueous speleothems (Hells Bells) formed by the interplay of pelagic redoxcline biogeochemistry and specific hydraulic conditions in the El Zapote sinkhole, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

et al. 2019

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Abstract. Unique bell-shaped underwater speleothems were recently reported from the deep (∼ 55 m) meromictic El Zapote sinkhole (cenote) on the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. The local diving community has termed these speleothems as Hells Bells because of their shape and appearance in a dark environment in ∼ 28–38 m water depth above a sulfidic halocline. It was also suggested that Hells Bells form under water, yet the mystery of their formation remained unresolved. Therefore, we conducted detailed hydrogeochemical and geochemical analyses of the water column and Hells Bells speleothems including stable carbon isotopes. Based on the comprehensive results presented in this study we deduce that both biogeochemical processes in the pelagic redoxcline and a dynamic halocline elevation of El Zapote cenote are essential for Hells Bells formation. Hells Bells most likely form in the redoxcline, a narrow 1–2 m thick water layer immediately above the halocline where a pelagic chemolithoautotrophic microbial community thrives from the upward diffusion of reduced carbon, nitrogen and sulfur species released from organic matter degradation in organic-rich debris. We hypothesize that chemolithoautotrophy, in particular proton-consuming nitrate-driven anaerobic sulfide oxidation, favors calcite precipitation in the redoxcline and hence Hells Bells formation. A dynamic elevation of the halocline as a hydraulic response to droughts, annual tidal variability and recharge events is further discussed, which might explain the shape of Hells Bells as well as their occurrence over a range of 10 m water depth. Finally, we infer that highly stagnant conditions, i.e., a thick halocline, a low-light environment and sufficient input of organic material into a deep meromictic cenote are apparent prerequisites for Hells Bells formation. This might explain their exclusivity to only a few cenotes in a restricted area of the northeastern Yucatán Peninsula.

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Section: Sedimentary Biogeochemical Processesmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Water Column Biogeochemical Processesmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Limnological and Hydrological Conditions In El Zapote Cenotementioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Geological Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 95%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Subaqueous speleothems (Hells Bells) formed by the interplay of pelagic redoxcline biogeochemistry and specific hydraulic conditions in the El Zapote sinkhole, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

et al. 2019

Self Cite

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“…Similarly, previous studies have also detected that Thiobacillus was dominant in various autotrophic reactors [40,41]. Furthermore, some species of the genus Hydrogenophilaceae_unclassified (abundance 4.53%) use various inorganic electron donors such as reduced sulfuric compounds or hydrogen [42]. As autotrophic denitrifying bacteria, the relative abundance of Thiobacillus (from 23.9% to 17.3%) and Hydrogenophilaceae_unclassified (from 4.53% to 3.7%) was decreased markedly with the addition of organic matter at the end of stage I.…”

Section: Microbial Community Structure and Functional Bacteria Composmentioning

confidence: 53%

Feasibility of Adjusting the S2O32−/NO3− Ratio to Adapt to Dynamic Influents in Coupled Anammox and Denitrification Systems

Hou

Cheng

Wang

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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In this study, anammox, sulfur-based autotrophic denitrification, and heterotrophic denitrification (A/SAD/HD) were coupled in an expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactor to explore the feasibility of enhancing denitrification performance by adjusting the S2O32−/NO3− (S/N) ratio to accommodate dynamic influents. The results indicated that the optimal influent conditions occurred when the conversion efficiency of ammonium (CEA) was 55%, the S/N ratio was 1.24, and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) was 50 mg/L, which resulted in a total nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE) of 95.0% ± 0.5%. The S/N ratio regulation strategy was feasible when the influent COD concentration was less than 100 mg/L and the CEA was between 57% and 63%. Characterization by 16S rRNA sequencing showed that Candidatus Jettenia might have contributed the most to anammox, while Thiobacillus and Denitratisoma were the dominant taxa related to denitrification. The findings of this study provide insights into the effects of CEA and COD on the performance of the A/SAD/HD system and the feasibility of the S/N ratio regulation strategy.

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Biosynthetic potential of the sediment microbial subcommunities of an unexplored karst ecosystem and its ecological implications

Suárez‐Moo,

Prieto‐Davó

2024

MicrobiologyOpen

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Microbial communities from various environments have been studied in the quest for new natural products with a broad range of applications in medicine and biotechnology. We employed an enrichment method and genome mining tools to examine the biosynthetic potential of microbial communities in the sediments of a coastal sinkhole within the karst ecosystem of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. Our investigation led to the detection of 203 biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) and 55 secondary metabolites (SMs) within 35 high‐quality metagenome‐assembled genomes (MAGs) derived from these subcommunities. The most abundant types of BGCs were Terpene, Nonribosomal peptide‐synthetase, and Type III polyketide synthase. Some of the in silico identified BGCs and SMs have been previously reported to exhibit biological activities against pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Others could play significant roles in the sinkhole ecosystem, such as iron solubilization and osmotic stress protection. Interestingly, 75% of the BGCs showed no sequence homology with bacterial BGCs previously reported in the MiBIG database. This suggests that the microbial communities in this environment could be an untapped source of genes encoding novel specialized compounds. The majority of the BGCs were identified in pathways found in the genus Virgibacillus, followed by Sporosarcina, Siminovitchia, Rhodococcus, and Halomonas. The latter, along with Paraclostridium and Lysinibacillus, had the highest number of identified BGC types. This study offers fresh insights into the potential ecological role of SMs from sediment microbial communities in an unexplored environment, underscoring their value as a source of novel natural products.

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Hells Bells – unique speleothems from the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, generated under highly specific subaquatic conditions

Cited by 13 publications

References 62 publications

Subaqueous speleothems (Hells Bells) formed by the interplay of pelagic redoxcline biogeochemistry and specific hydraulic conditions in the El Zapote sinkhole, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

Subaqueous speleothems (Hells Bells) formed by the interplay of pelagic redoxcline biogeochemistry and specific hydraulic conditions in the El Zapote sinkhole, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico

Feasibility of Adjusting the S2O32−/NO3− Ratio to Adapt to Dynamic Influents in Coupled Anammox and Denitrification Systems

Biosynthetic potential of the sediment microbial subcommunities of an unexplored karst ecosystem and its ecological implications

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