Abstract:
The deep subsurface is one of Earth’s largest biomes. Here, microorganisms modify volatiles moving between the deep Earth and its surface. We sampled subsurface microbial ecosystems in deeply-sourced springs across the Costa Rican convergent margin and show that bacterial community composition correlated with the geochemistry of the underlying convergent margin structure and that the community is dominated by likely chemolithoautotrophs supported by slab-derived CO2. The subsurface microbial community structure of the Costa Rica convergent margin is ultimately linked to the subduction parameters and participates in deep volatile cycling and carbon sequestration.

Speaker: Dr Donato Giovannelli, University of Naples Federico II

Donato Giovannelli is an Assistant Professor of microbiology at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy, and an affiliated scientist at the Earth-Life Science Institute in Tokyo and Rutgers University, USA. His research aims to explore and understand the emergence and evolution of life and the co-evolution of the Geosphere and the Biosphere. To this end, his group combines classic microbiology techniques with fieldwork and computational tools to reconstruct geo-bio interactions. The majority of the work is carried out in extreme environments, ranging from deep-sea and shallow-water hydrothermal vents to hot springs and volcanoes.

Date: May 1, 15:30-16:30 

ELSI Host: Shawn McGlynn

Venue: Online