Earth scientists have searched for signs of microscopic life in ancient samples of permafrost, ice, deep-see sediments, amber, salt and chert. Until now evidence of cyanobacteria were notreported in any studies of ancient DNA. Here we investigate morphologically, biochemically and genetically primary evaporites deposited in situ during the late Miocene (Messinian) Salinity Crisis from the north-eastern Apennines of Italy. The evaporites contain fossilized bacterial structures having identical morphological forms as modern biota.We successfully extracted and amplified genetic material belonging to ancient cyanobacteria from gypsum crystals dating back to 5.910-5.816 million years ago, when the Mediterraneanbecame a giant hypersaline brine pool. This finding represents the oldest ancient cyanobacterial DNA to date. Our clone library and its phylogenetic comparison with present cyanobacterialpopulations point to a marine origin for the depositional basin. Our investigation opens the possibility to include fossil cyanobacterial DNA into the paleo-reconstruction of variousenvironments and could also be used to quantify the ecological importance of cyanobacteria through geological time. These serve as biosignatures providing important clues about ancientlife and begin new discussion concerning the debate on the origin of late Miocene evaporites in the Mediterranean.
Ribosomal RNA gene fragments from fossilized cyanobacteria identified in primary gypsum from the late Miocene, Italy / G., Panieri; Lugli, Stefano; V., Manzi; M., Roveri; C. B., Schreiber; K. A., Palinska. - In: GEOBIOLOGY. - ISSN 1472-4677. - STAMPA. - 8:(2010), pp. 101-111. [10.1111/j.1472-4669.2009.00230.x]
Ribosomal RNA gene fragments from fossilized cyanobacteria identified in primary gypsum from the late Miocene, Italy
LUGLI, Stefano;
2010
Abstract
Earth scientists have searched for signs of microscopic life in ancient samples of permafrost, ice, deep-see sediments, amber, salt and chert. Until now evidence of cyanobacteria were notreported in any studies of ancient DNA. Here we investigate morphologically, biochemically and genetically primary evaporites deposited in situ during the late Miocene (Messinian) Salinity Crisis from the north-eastern Apennines of Italy. The evaporites contain fossilized bacterial structures having identical morphological forms as modern biota.We successfully extracted and amplified genetic material belonging to ancient cyanobacteria from gypsum crystals dating back to 5.910-5.816 million years ago, when the Mediterraneanbecame a giant hypersaline brine pool. This finding represents the oldest ancient cyanobacterial DNA to date. Our clone library and its phylogenetic comparison with present cyanobacterialpopulations point to a marine origin for the depositional basin. Our investigation opens the possibility to include fossil cyanobacterial DNA into the paleo-reconstruction of variousenvironments and could also be used to quantify the ecological importance of cyanobacteria through geological time. These serve as biosignatures providing important clues about ancientlife and begin new discussion concerning the debate on the origin of late Miocene evaporites in the Mediterranean.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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