Formerly Postdoctoral Research Associate in Geomicrobiology at the Open University, UK (Planetary and Space Science Research Institute, Centre for Earth, Planetary Science and Astronomical Research).
I obtained my PhD in Microbial Ecology from University College Cork (Ireland) and my BSc. in Industrial Microbiology from University College Dublin.
ABSTRACT A molecular biological analysis of Icelandic volcanic rocks of different compositions an... more ABSTRACT A molecular biological analysis of Icelandic volcanic rocks of different compositions and glassiness revealed the presence of Actinobacteria as an abundant phylum. In outcrops of basaltic glass they were the dominant bacterial phylum. A diversity of Actinobacteria were cultured from the rocks on rock-agar plates showing that they are capable of growing on rock-derived nutrient sources and that many of the taxa identified by molecular methods are viable, potentially active members of the community. Laboratory batch-culture experiments using a Streptomyces isolate showed that it was capable of enhancing the release of major elements from volcanic rocks, including weathered basaltic glass, crystalline basalt and komatiite, when provided with a carbon source. Actinobacteria of a variety of other sub-orders were also capable of enhancing volcanic rock weathering, measured as Si release. However, most strains did not significantly increase the weathering of the silica-rich rock, obsidian. These data show that Actinobacteria can contribute to volcanic rock weathering and, therefore, the carbonate-silicate cycle. Given their ancient lineage, it is likely they have played a role in rock weathering for over two billion years. http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/c2BHiwbBK6cJ9ZPDyDyc/full#.UcMMrBZH2S0
Acidic forest soils, while nutrient-poor, are characterised by a reservoir of inorganic nutrients... more Acidic forest soils, while nutrient-poor, are characterised by a reservoir of inorganic nutrients trapped within the minerals contained therein. Despite the significance of such reservoirs to the long-term functioning of acidic forest ecosystems, surprisingly little is known regarding the contribution of the resident bacterial communities to the weathering of soil minerals. While the influence of mineralogy on the phylogenetic composition of mineralosphere communities in soil and other terrestrial environments [1, 2, 3] has been demonstrated, determining the activities and contributions of individual microbial taxa to weathering processes remains an ongoing challenge. Using DNA immunocapture and high-throughput sequencing, in concert with geochemistry and traditional culture-based techniques, we investigate bacterial communities on a variety of minerals during weathering in laboratory microcosms, seeded with a forest soil-derived inoculum. Our primary objectives are i) the compariso...
The colonization and weathering of young seafloor basaltic glass from the mid-Atlantic Ridge was ... more The colonization and weathering of young seafloor basaltic glass from the mid-Atlantic Ridge was examined. Microorganisms were localised to fractures in the surface of the basalt and grew on the surfaces of material in the fractures. XAS, Raman Spectroscopy and NanoSIMS ...
Cockell, Charles S.; Kelly, Laura C.; Summers, Stephen. 2010 The microbiology of volcanic environ... more Cockell, Charles S.; Kelly, Laura C.; Summers, Stephen. 2010 The microbiology of volcanic environments. In: Horikoshi, K; Antranikian, G; Bull, AT; Robb, FT; Stetter, KO, (eds.) Extremophiles Handbook. Tokyo, Springer, 915-933. ... Full text not available from this repository.
ABSTRACT A molecular biological analysis of Icelandic volcanic rocks of different compositions an... more ABSTRACT A molecular biological analysis of Icelandic volcanic rocks of different compositions and glassiness revealed the presence of Actinobacteria as an abundant phylum. In outcrops of basaltic glass they were the dominant bacterial phylum. A diversity of Actinobacteria were cultured from the rocks on rock-agar plates showing that they are capable of growing on rock-derived nutrient sources and that many of the taxa identified by molecular methods are viable, potentially active members of the community. Laboratory batch-culture experiments using a Streptomyces isolate showed that it was capable of enhancing the release of major elements from volcanic rocks, including weathered basaltic glass, crystalline basalt and komatiite, when provided with a carbon source. Actinobacteria of a variety of other sub-orders were also capable of enhancing volcanic rock weathering, measured as Si release. However, most strains did not significantly increase the weathering of the silica-rich rock, obsidian. These data show that Actinobacteria can contribute to volcanic rock weathering and, therefore, the carbonate-silicate cycle. Given their ancient lineage, it is likely they have played a role in rock weathering for over two billion years. http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/c2BHiwbBK6cJ9ZPDyDyc/full#.UcMMrBZH2S0
Acidic forest soils, while nutrient-poor, are characterised by a reservoir of inorganic nutrients... more Acidic forest soils, while nutrient-poor, are characterised by a reservoir of inorganic nutrients trapped within the minerals contained therein. Despite the significance of such reservoirs to the long-term functioning of acidic forest ecosystems, surprisingly little is known regarding the contribution of the resident bacterial communities to the weathering of soil minerals. While the influence of mineralogy on the phylogenetic composition of mineralosphere communities in soil and other terrestrial environments [1, 2, 3] has been demonstrated, determining the activities and contributions of individual microbial taxa to weathering processes remains an ongoing challenge. Using DNA immunocapture and high-throughput sequencing, in concert with geochemistry and traditional culture-based techniques, we investigate bacterial communities on a variety of minerals during weathering in laboratory microcosms, seeded with a forest soil-derived inoculum. Our primary objectives are i) the compariso...
The colonization and weathering of young seafloor basaltic glass from the mid-Atlantic Ridge was ... more The colonization and weathering of young seafloor basaltic glass from the mid-Atlantic Ridge was examined. Microorganisms were localised to fractures in the surface of the basalt and grew on the surfaces of material in the fractures. XAS, Raman Spectroscopy and NanoSIMS ...
Cockell, Charles S.; Kelly, Laura C.; Summers, Stephen. 2010 The microbiology of volcanic environ... more Cockell, Charles S.; Kelly, Laura C.; Summers, Stephen. 2010 The microbiology of volcanic environments. In: Horikoshi, K; Antranikian, G; Bull, AT; Robb, FT; Stetter, KO, (eds.) Extremophiles Handbook. Tokyo, Springer, 915-933. ... Full text not available from this repository.
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