Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Microbial Diversity and Enzymes in Ikaite Columns: A Cold and Alkaline Environment in Greenland

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Polyextremophiles

Part of the book series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology ((COLE,volume 27))

Abstract

The ikaite columns in the Ikka Fjord, SW Greenland, constitute a cold (4 °C), alkaline (pH 10.4), and low-salinity (0.9 %) environment, and they harbor a microbial community adapted to this polyextreme environment. 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses show that the community is rich in new species and that Proteobacteria are dominating. So far, three new species have been characterized and described in detail: Rhodonellum psychrophilum, Arsukibacterium ikkense, and Alkalilactibacillus ikkensis. The bacteria produce a diversity of enzymes, including proteases, lipases, β-galactosidases, and phosphatases. These enzymes are adapted to the polyextreme environment and have application potentials in industrial and biotechnological processes. In this chapter, the research on the microbial population of the ikaite columns that has been conducted over the past decade will be reviewed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Aarup C (2006) Identification of biofilm-producing bacteria in ikaite tufa columns. Master thesis, University of Copenhagen

    Google Scholar 

  • Allaart JH (1976) Ketilidian mobile belt in South Greenland. In: Escher A, Watt WS (eds) Geology of Greenland. Grønlands Geologiske undersøgelse, København, pp 120–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Bischoff JL, Fitzpatrick JA, Rosenbauer RJ (1993) The solubility and stabilization of Ikaite (CaCO3.6H2O) from 0 °C to 25 °C – environmental and paleoclimatic implications for Thinolite tufa. J Geol 101:21–33

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brettar I, Christen R, Hofle MG (2002) Rheinheimera baltica gen. nov., sp. nov., a blue-coloured bacterium isolated from the central Baltic Sea. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 52:1851–1857

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brettar I, Christen R, Hofle MG (2004) Belliella baltica gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel marine bacterium of the Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides group isolated from surface water of the central Baltic Sea. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 54:65–70

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks R, Clark LM, Thurston EF (1950) Calcium carbonate and its hydrates. Philos Trans R Soc Lond Ser A 243:145–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buchardt B, Seaman P, Stockmann G, Vous M, Wilken U, Duwel L, Kristiansen A, Jenner C, Whiticar MJ (1997) Submarine columns of ikaite tufa. Nature 390:129–130

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Buchardt B, Israelson C, Seaman P, Stockmann G (2001) Ikaite tufa towers in Ikka Fjord, southwest Greenland: their formation by mixing of seawater and alkaline spring water. J Sediment Res 71:176–189

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cao SJ, Qu JH, Yang JS, Sun Q, Yuan HL (2008) Halolactibacillus alkaliphilus sp. nov., a moderately alkaliphilic and halophilic bacterium isolated from a soda lake in Inner Mongolia, China, and emended description of the genus Halolactibacillus. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 58:2169–2173

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dahl K, Buchardt B (2006) Monohydrocalcite in the Arctic Ikka fjord, SW Greenland: first reported marine occurrence. J Sediment Res 76:460–471

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Duckworth AW, Grant WD, Jones BE, van Steenbergen R (1996) Phylogenetic diversity of soda lake alkaliphiles. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 19:181–191

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Emeleus CH (1964) The Grønnedal-Ika alkaline complex, South Greenland. The structure and geological history of the complex. Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse, København

    Google Scholar 

  • Gianese G, Argos P, Pascarella S (2001) Structural adaptation of enzymes to low temperatures. Protein Eng 14:141–148

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grant WD, Heaphy S (2010) Metagenomics and recovery of enzyme genes from alkaline saline environments. Environ Technol 31:1135–1143

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jefferson KK (2004) What drives bacteria to produce a biofilm? FEMS Microbiol Lett 236:163–173

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jones BE, Grant WD, Duckworth AW, Owenson GG (1998) Microbial diversity of soda lakes. Extremophiles 2:191–200

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kelly M (1977) Quaternary geology of the Ivigtut-Nunarssuit region, South-West and South Greenland. Rapport Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse 85:64–67

    Google Scholar 

  • Kristiansen J, Kristiansen A (1999) A new species of Chroomonas (Cryptophyceae) living inside the submarine ikaite columns in the Ikkafjord, Southwest Greenland, with remarks on its ultrastructure and ecology. Nordic J Bot 19:747–758

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krogh KJ (1982) Erik den Rødes Grønland; Saga texts  =  Qallunaatsiaaqarfik Grønland. Nationalmuseets Forlag, Copenhagen

    Google Scholar 

  • Milford AD, Achenbach LA, Jung DO, Madigan MT (2000) Rhodobaca bogoriensis gen. nov. and sp. nov., an alkaliphilic purple nonsulfur bacterium from African Rift Valley soda lakes. Arch Microbiol 174:18–27

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nichols CA, Guezennec J, Bowman JP (2005) Bacterial exopolysaccharides from extreme marine environments with special consideration of the southern ocean, sea ice, and deep-sea hydrothermal vents: a review. Mar Biotechnol (NY) 7:253–271

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pauly H (1963) “Ikaite”, a new mineral from Greenland. Arctic 16:263–264

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pedersen R (2007) Bacteria from ikaite tufa columns: enzymes and microbial diversity. Master thesis, University of Copenhagen

    Google Scholar 

  • Reddy GS, Matsumoto GI, Schumann P, Stackebrandt E, Shivaji S (2004) Psychrophilic pseudomonads from Antarctica: Pseudomonas antarctica sp. nov., Pseudomonas meridiana sp. nov. and Pseudomonas proteolytica sp. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 54:713–719

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rink H (1866) Eskimoiske Eventyr og Sagn. Reitzel, København

    Google Scholar 

  • Roy D, Sengupta S (2007) Structural features of a cold-adapted Alaskan bacterial lipase. J Biomol Struct Dyn 24:463–470

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt M, Stougaard P (2010) Identification, cloning and expression of a cold-active beta-galactosidase from a novel Arctic bacterium, Alkalilactibacillus ikkense. Environ Technol 31:1107–1114

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt M, Prieme A, Stougaard P (2006a) Bacterial diversity in permanently cold and alkaline ikaite columns from Greenland. Extremophiles 10:551–562

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt M, Prieme A, Stougaard P (2006b) Rhodonellum psychrophilum gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel psychrophilic and alkaliphilic bacterium of the phylum Bacteroidetes isolated from Greenland. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 56:2887–2892

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt M, Prieme A, Stougaard P (2007) Arsukibacterium ikkense gen. nov., sp. nov, a novel alkaliphilic, enzyme-producing γ-Proteobacterium isolated from a cold and alkaline environment in Greenland. Syst Appl Microbiol 30:197–201

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt M, Larsen DM, Stougaard P (2010) A lipase with broad temperature range from an alkaliphilic γ-proteobacterium isolated in Greenland. Environ Technol 31:1091–1100

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt M, Prieme A, Johansen A, Stougaard P (2012) Alkalilactibacillus ikkensis, gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel enzyme-producing bacterium from a cold and alkaline environment in Greenland. Extremophiles 16:297–305

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schrenk MO, Kelley DS, Bolton SA, Baross JA (2004) Low archaeal diversity linked to subseafloor geochemical processes at the Lost City Hydrothermal Field, Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Environ Microbiol 6:1086–1095

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seaman P, Buchardt B (2006) The columns of ikaite tufa in Ikka Fjord, Greenland. Monographs on Greenland. Geoscience 44:1–39

    Google Scholar 

  • Sørensen MV, Kristensen RM (2000) Marine Rotifera from Ikka Fjord, SW Greenland. Monographs on Greenland. Bioscience 51:1–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Stougaard P, Jorgensen F, Johnsen MG, Hansen OC (2002) Microbial diversity in ikaite tufa columns: an alkaline, cold ecological niche in Greenland. Environ Microbiol 4:487–493

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thorbjorn L, Petersen GH (2003) The epifauna on the carbonate reefs in the Arctic Ikka Fjord, SW Greenland. Ophelia 57:177–201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiago I, Chung AP, Verissimo A (2004) Bacterial diversity in a nonsaline alkaline environment: heterotrophic aerobic populations. Appl Environ Microbiol 70:7378–7387

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Van TS, Mergaert J, Swings J (2004) Loktanella salsilacus gen. nov., sp. nov., Loktanella fryxellensis sp. nov. and Loktanella vestfoldensis sp. nov., new members of the Rhodobacter group, isolated from microbial mats in Antarctic lakes. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 54:1263–1269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yumoto I (2002) Bioenergetics of alkaliphilic Bacillus spp. J Biosci Bioeng 93:342–353

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section for Genetics and Microbiology, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Jan K. Vester, Jeanette E. Lylloff, Mikkel A. Glaring & Peter Stougaard

Authors
  1. Jan K. Vester
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jeanette E. Lylloff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mikkel A. Glaring
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Peter Stougaard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jan K. Vester .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Joseph Seckbach

  2. Dept. of Plant and Env. Sciences, Institute of Life Sciences The Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Aharon Oren

  3. Dept. Mikrobiology, Universität Salzburg FB Molekulare Biologie, Salzburg, Austria

    Helga Stan-Lotter

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Vester, J.K., Lylloff, J.E., Glaring, M.A., Stougaard, P. (2013). Microbial Diversity and Enzymes in Ikaite Columns: A Cold and Alkaline Environment in Greenland. In: Seckbach, J., Oren, A., Stan-Lotter, H. (eds) Polyextremophiles. Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, vol 27. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6488-0_15

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation