Diversity of siderophore-producing bacterial cultures from Carlsbad Caverns National Park caves, Carlsbad, New Mexico

Researchers discovered that cave bacteria from Carlsbad Caverns National Park produce siderophores, microbially-produced ferric iron chelators, to survive in nutrient-limited environments. The study identified 64% of bacterial cultures as siderophore producers, with the majority producing hydroxamate-type siderophores. These findings support the hypothesis that siderophores are a critical mechanism for cave bacteria to obtain essential ferric iron. The study used long-term (10–11 years) and short-term (1–3 days) parent cultures inoculated with ferromanganese deposits and carbonate secondary minerals from Lechuguilla and Spider caves, classifying producers using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Siderophore production was more prevalent in short-term cultures, which also showed a higher proportion of strong producers compared to long-term cultures.

Duncan, T., Werner-Washburne, M., & Northup, D. (2021). Diversity of siderophore-producing bacterial cultures from Carlsbad Caverns National Park caves, Carlsbad, New Mexico. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, 83(1), 29–43. https://doi.org/10.4311/2019es0118