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Evidence-Based Supplement Research
Evidence-Based Supplement Research

Electrogenic sulfur oxidation mediated by cable bacteria and its ecological effects.

  • 2023-12-19
  • Environmental science and ecotechnology 20
    • Zhenyu Wang
    • Leonid Digel
    • Yongqiang Yuan
    • Hui Lu
    • Yonggang Yang
    • Carsten Vogt
    • Hans-Hermann Richnow
    • Lars Peter Nielsen

Study Design

Type
Review
At the sediment-water interfaces, filamentous cable bacteria transport electrons from sulfide oxidation along their filaments towards oxygen or nitrate as electron acceptors. These multicellular bacteria belonging to the family Desulfobulbaceae thus form a biogeobattery that mediates redox processes between multiple elements. Cable bacteria were first reported in 2012. In the past years, cable bacteria have been found to be widely distributed across the globe. Their potential in shaping the surface water environments has been extensively studied but is not fully elucidated. In this review, the biogeochemical characteristics, conduction mechanisms, and geographical distribution of cable bacteria, as well as their ecological effects, are systematically reviewed and discussed. Novel insights for understanding and applying the role of cable bacteria in aquatic ecology are summarized.

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