En la revista International Journal of Speleology nº 43 (2), se ha publicado recientemente un artículo muy interesante titulado "Microbial communities in a coastal cave: Cova des Pas de Vallgornera (Mallorca, Western Mediterranean)" y firmado por Antoni Busquets, Joan J. Fornós, Freddy Zafra, Jorge Lalucat y Antoni Merino.
En este trabajo se describe el trabajo que han estado llevando en esta cavidad respecto al estudio de los microorganismos encontrados en su interior. A continuación tenéis el resumen en inglés por si es de vuestro interés:
ABSTRACT:
As a part of an ongoing project on the role of microbes in the biogeochemistry of Majorcan caves, the species diversity of microbial communities present in cave pools of anchialine waters in the Cova des Pas de Vallgornera (Mallorca, western Mediterranean) is investigated by a culture-dependent method. Two-hundred and forty-eight strains isolated from this characteristic cave environment of the littoral karst are identified by whole-cell-MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and phylogeneticaly by 16S rRNA gene sequences. Total cell counts and species diversity of the bacterial communities decreas with the distance to the entrance of the cave and to the sea. Strains are mainly identified as members of the Gammaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria. Around 20% of the isolates are able to precipitate carbonates. Calcite is the predominant phase, growing in all the precipitates, although struvite is also found in one Pseudomonas and in one Aspergillus cultures. Differences in crystal characteristics of external shape (habit) and growth are observed according to the bacterial species promoting the precipitates. Bacteria associated with multicolored ferromanganese deposits, present in several parts of the cave, are also studied and are identified as Pseudomonas benzenivorans and Nocardioides luteus. The preponderance of Pseudomonas species and the possible contribution of bacteria in calcite deposition are discussed.
Podéis descargar el trabajo completo PINCHANDO AQUÍ.
Enhorabuena a los autores de este interesante trabajo.
Imagen extraída del trabajo anteriormente citado.
