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Magnetotactic advantage in stable sediment by long-term observations of magnetotactic bacteria in Earth's field, zero field and alternating field

2022 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 911

In zero field, mean concentration of M. bavaricum dropped by ~50% over 6 months and recovered to initial values within ~1.5 months after Earth's field was reset; cocci showed larger temporal variability with no evident population changes in zero field. Under …

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2022
Study typeanimal
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Magnetotactic advantage in stable sediment by long-term observations of magnetotactic bacteria in Earth's field, zero field and alternating field Xuegang Mao, Ramon Egli, Xiuming Liu, Lijuan Zhao. Magnetotactic advantage in stable sediment by long-term observations of magnetotactic bacteria in Earth's field, zero field and alternating field. PLoS One. 2022 Feb 24;17(2):e0263593. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263593. Abstract Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) rely on magnetotaxis to effectively reach their preferred living habitats, whereas experimental investigation of magnetotactic advantage in stable sediment is currently lacking. We studied two wild type MTB (cocci and rod-shaped M. bavaricum) in sedimentary environment under exposure to geomagnetic field in the laboratory, zero field and an alternating field whose polarity was switched every 24 hours. The mean concentration of M. bavaricum dropped by ~50% during 6 months in zero field, with no clear temporal trend suggesting an extinction. Cell numbers recovered to initial values within ~1.5 months after the Earth's field was reset. Cocci displayed a larger temporal variability with no evident population changes in zero field. The alternating field experiment produced a moderate decrease of M. bavaricum concentrations and nearby extinction of cocci, confirming the active role of magnetotaxis in sediment and might point to a different magnetotactic mechanism for M. bavaricum which possibly benefited them to survive field reversals in geological periods. Our findings provide a first quantification of magnetotaxis advantage in sedimentary environment.== Open access paper: journals.plos.org

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AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal
Effect directionmixed
PopulationMagnetotactic bacteria (wild type cocci and rod-shaped M. bavaricum) in sedimentary environment (laboratory)
Sample sizeNot supplied
ExposureELF · 6 months (zero field); alternating field with polarity switched every 24 hours (duration not stated)
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In zero field, mean concentration of M. bavaricum dropped by ~50% over 6 months and recovered to initial values within ~1.5 months after Earth's field was reset; cocci showed larger temporal variability with no evident population changes in zero field. Under an alternating field with polarity switched every 24 hours, M. bavaricum showed a moderate decrease while cocci approached extinction.

Outcomes measured

  • Bacterial concentration/cell numbers over time
  • Population persistence/extinction indicators under different magnetic field conditions

Limitations

  • Sample size not reported in abstract
  • Magnetic field strength/amplitude not reported in abstract
  • Duration of the alternating-field condition not specified in abstract
  • Laboratory sedimentary environment; generalizability to natural settings not established in abstract
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": "laboratory magnetic field manipulation",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "6 months (zero field); alternating field with polarity switched every 24 hours (duration not stated)"
  },
  "population": "Magnetotactic bacteria (wild type cocci and rod-shaped M. bavaricum) in sedimentary environment (laboratory)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Bacterial concentration/cell numbers over time",
    "Population persistence/extinction indicators under different magnetic field conditions"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In zero field, mean concentration of M. bavaricum dropped by ~50% over 6 months and recovered to initial values within ~1.5 months after Earth's field was reset; cocci showed larger temporal variability with no evident population changes in zero field. Under an alternating field with polarity switched every 24 hours, M. bavaricum showed a moderate decrease while cocci approached extinction.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in abstract",
    "Magnetic field strength/amplitude not reported in abstract",
    "Duration of the alternating-field condition not specified in abstract",
    "Laboratory sedimentary environment; generalizability to natural settings not established in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "magnetotactic bacteria",
    "magnetotaxis",
    "geomagnetic field",
    "zero field",
    "alternating magnetic field",
    "sediment",
    "field reversals"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}
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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263593
PubMed: Not supplied

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