the blue-fronted robin ( cinclidium frontale ) is a species of bird in the family muscicapidae .

it is the only species in the monotypic genus cinclidium .

it is found in bhutan , china , northeast india , laos , thailand , vietnam , and possibly nepal .

blue - fronted robin

select an image : 1 . blue - fronted robin > > immature male 2 . blue - fronted robin > > male 3 . blue - fronted robin > > female 4 . blue - fronted robin > > female 5 . blue - fronted robin > > female 6 . blue - fronted robin > > female 7 . blue - fronted robin > > female 8 . blue - fronted robin > > female 9 . blue - fronted robin > > female 10 . blue - fronted robin > > female 11 . blue - fronted robin > > male 12 . blue - fronted robin > > male
the blue - fronted robin ( cinclidium frontale ) is a species of bird in the muscicapidae family .
collar , n . ( 2018 ) . blue - fronted robin ( cinclidium frontale ) . in : del hoyo , j . , elliott , a . , sargatal , j . , christie , d . a . & de juana , e . ( eds . ) . handbook of the birds of the world alive . lynx edicions , barcelona . ( retrieved from urltoken on 9 july 2018 ) .
while leaving lava , i decided to walk down the road as the others got ready , and at the garbage dump in lava i had a fleeting glimpse of a bluish robin - like bird . as i searched for it , it flew out across the road , and only gave me a fraction of a second to click before disappearing again . here ' s the record shot . - gb
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del hoyo , j . , collar , n . j . , christie , d . a . , elliott , a . , fishpool , l . d . c . , boesman , p . and kirwan , g . m . 2016 . hbw and birdlife international illustrated checklist of the birds of the world . volume 2 : passerines . lynx edicions and birdlife international , barcelona , spain and cambridge , uk .
justification : this species has an extremely large range , and hence does not approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the range size criterion ( extent of occurrence < 20 , 000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size , habitat extent / quality , or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation ) . despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing , the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the population trend criterion ( > 30 % decline over ten years or three generations ) . the population size has not been quantified , but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the population size criterion ( < 10 , 000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be > 10 % in ten years or three generations , or with a specified population structure ) . for these reasons the species is evaluated as least concern .
the global population size has not been quantified , but the species is described as relatively uncommon ( del hoyo et al . 2005 ) . trend justification : the population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction .
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blyth , 1842 – sikkim , nw bengal , bhutan and adjacent w arunachal pradesh . records from e nepal doubtful
( delacour & jabouille , 1930 ) – ne india ( se arunachal pradesh and possibly nagaland ) , sc china ( sw sichuan ) and n indochina .
18–20 cm ; 25–26 g . male nominate race is blackish - indigo , with shiny bluish forehead and shoulder , long graduated tail , white patch on underwing primary coverts , . . .
song a series of short clear melodious phrases , “tuuii - be - tue… tuu - buudy - doo…” . calls include harsh . . .
dark , densely vegetated gulleys in primary montane broadleaf evergreen forest and bamboo , 1850 . . .
no information ; keeps to low parts of vegetation , clambering among bamboo , and presumably feeds there and on ground on small insects .
; degree to which rarity reflects elusiveness unclear , but consensus of . . .
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this species has an extremely large range , and hence does not approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the range size criterion ( extent of occurrence < 20 , 000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size , habitat extent / quality , or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation ) . despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing , the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the population trend criterion ( > 30 % decline over ten years or three generations ) . the population size has not been quantified , but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for vulnerable under the population size criterion ( < 10 , 000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be > 10 % in ten years or three generations , or with a specified population structure ) . for these reasons the species is evaluated as least concern .
recommended citation birdlife international ( 2018 ) species factsheet : cinclidium frontale . downloaded from urltoken on 09 / 07 / 2018 . recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species : birdlife international ( 2018 ) iucn red list for birds . downloaded from urltoken on 09 / 07 / 2018 .
came very close in response to playback but very hard to see . . . keeps very close to the ground or on the ground , even when singing
in response to playback - came very close ( 2m ) , kept very close to ground or on ground . same bird as xc106778 - 79
in response to playback - came very close ( 2m ) , kept very close to ground or on ground . same bird as xc106778
a very difficult bird to see . found this bird in the morning and tried for quite some time . eventually , after trying for another hour at the end of the day , i got one good brief view . this was also when i made the recording . to get to see it i also used some tape but it was relatively long before the recording , so it probably did not have much influence . as you can hear it was another drizzly afternoon .
same male as in xc324174 and xc324175 , moving around a large area of bamboo .
came very close in response to playback but very hard to see . . . keeps very close to the ground or on the ground , even when singing . same bird as on xc106671 - two short cuts pasted together here
sonogram images © xeno - canto foundation . sonogram images share the same license terms as the recording they depict .
it is found in bhutan , china , india , laos , thailand , vietnam , and possibly nepal .
its natural habitat is temperate forests . it is the only species remaining in the genus cinclidium after others were moved to the genus myiomela .
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an electrolithoautotroph is an organism which feeds on electricity .

these organisms use electricity to convert carbon dioxide to organic matters by using electrons directly taken from solid-inorganic electron donors .

electrolithoautotrophs are microorganisms which are found in the deep crevices of the ocean .

the warm , mineral-rich environment provides a rich source of nutrients .

the electron source for carbon assimilation from diffusible fe ( 2 + ) ions to an electrode under the condition that electrical current is the only source of energy and electrons .

electrolithoautotrophs form a third metabolic pathway compared to photosynthesis ( plants converting light into sugar ) and chemosynthesis ( animals consuming food )

electrolithoautotroph

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researchers at the riken center for sustainable resource science and the university of tokyo have demonstrated that the bacterium acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans can take electrons needed for growth directly from an electrode power source when iron—its already known source of energy—is absent . the study , published in frontiers in microbiology , shows that a . ferrooxidans can use direct uptake of electrons from an electrode to fuel the same metabolic pathway that is activated by the oxidation of diffusible iron ions .
just as plants with chlorophyll use photosynthesis to convert energy from light into sugars needed for growth , other organisms—like animals—gain energy for the manufacture of sugars by taking electrons from substances in their surrounding environments—a process called chemosynthesis . organisms that gain their energy this way are called chemotrophs , and those that get their electrons through oxidation of inorganic substances are called chemolithoautotrophs . phototrophs and chemotrophs make up two interconnected ecosystems .
“we are investigating the possibility of a third type of ecosystem , ” explains group leader ryuhei nakamura . “we call it the electro - ecosystem because microbial activity is sustained primarily by direct electrical current . ”
recently , his team has discovered geo - electric currents across the walls of black - smoker chimneys formed by hydrothermanl vents , suggesting that some deep - sea microbes might double as a electrolithoautotrophs , organisms that can use electrical potential—meaning that they simply eat electrons—as an energy source instead of light or surrounding inorganic substances .
because access to microbes in this environment is not easy , and to verify their hypothesis that being able to switch energy sources from inorganic substances to electricity is not unique in the microbial world , the team experimented with a . ferrooxidans , a chemolithoautotrophic bacterium known to oxidize iron ions ( fe 2 + ) .
the team cultured a . ferrooxidans in an fe 2 + - free environment and supplied an electrode with an electrical potential of + 0 . 4 v , carbon - dioxide as a carbon source , and oxygen as an electron acceptor . they found that these conditions created a current that originated from the electrode , and that the strength of the current depended on how many cells were attached to the electrode . killing the cells with uv light immediately suppressed the current .
to determine how this current was being generated , they used an artificial photochemical reaction . normally , carbon monoxide attaches to heme proteins in a . ferrooxidans outer membranes and prevents oxidation . but , when exposed to light , this bond is broken and oxidation continues as usual . when tested , carbon - monoxide also prevented the current formed between the electrode and a . ferrooxidans cells and exposure to light reversed this block and allowed the current to flow . this suggested that a heme protein is needed for the electrosynthesis exhibited by a . ferrooxidans .
further analysis showed that the responsible heme protein is the aa3 complex which is known to play a role in down - hill electron transfer in a . ferrooxidans that generates atp and the proton - motive - force that allows uphill electron transfer and carbon fixation—the hallmarks of sugar production . inhibition of a protein complex that is part of the uphill - transfer process suppressed the current , showing that the proton - motive - forces being generated were indeed used for up - hill electron transport . additionally , the optical density of cells cultured with the electrode for eight days increased over time , indicating growth and that the current generated by electrons flowing from the electrode to the cells was being used for carbon fixation .
“now that we have identified the metabolic pathway for electrolithoautotrophs in a . ferrooxidans , we will be able to apply this knowledge to bacteria we find in the deep sea vent , ” says nakamura . “the next step is to prove the existence of electro - ecosystems in on - site deep - sea experiments . ”
understanding electro - ecosystems and how electrical currents can support life could lead to a blueprint for sustainable human ecosystems , using technology such as fuel cells , batteries , and thermoelectric converters . ”
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to examine the validity of the hypothetical metabolic pathway for electrolithoautotrophic carbon assimilation , herein we cultivated the chemolithoautotrophic fe ( ii ) - oxidizing bacterium , acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans , in fe 2 + - ions free electrochemical reactors . using site - specific chemical marking for intracellular electron - transfer chains involved in carbon assimilation , we demonstrate the previously unaccounted ability of an fe ( ii ) - oxidizing bacterium to switch the metabolic mode from chemosynthesis to hypothetical electrolithoautotrophic carbon assimilation under the conditions that electrical current is the only source of energy and electrons for their carbon assimilation .
acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans ( atcc23270 ) was cultured in dsmz medium 882 ( 132 mg l - 1 ( nh 4 ) 2 so 4 , 53 mg l - 1 mgcl 2 6h 2 o , 27 mg l - 1 kh 2 po 4 , 147 mg l - 1 cacl 2 2h 2 o , and trace elements ) supplemented with ferrous iron ( 66 mm ) as an electron source and incubated aerobically at 30°c with shaking at 150 rpm in erlenmeyer flask ( volume of medium : 150 ml ) . the ph of solutions was adjusted to 1 . 8 using 5 m h 2 so 4 . subsequently , the culture was centrifuged at 15000 rpm for 10 min , and the pelleted cells were washed vigorously with a fresh medium at ph 1 . 8 . this process was repeated more than three times to remove soluble fe 2 + ions and insoluble iron oxides from the cell culture prior to being used for electrochemical experiments .
a single - chamber three - electrode system equipped with the working electrode on the bottom surface of the reactor was used for the electrochemical analysis of intact cells . a conducting glass substrate [ fluorine - doped tin oxide ( fto ) - coated glass electrode , resistance : 20 ω / square , size : 30 mm × 30 mm ; spd laboratory , inc . ] was used as the working electrode . the reference and counter electrodes were ag / agcl ( kcl sat . ) and a platinum wire , respectively . an air - exposed dsmz medium 882 was used as an electrolyte . the ph of solutions was adjusted to 1 . 8 using 5 m h 2 so 4 . the head space of the reactor was purged with air which is the source of n 2 , o 2 , and co 2 .
coordination of co to heme proteins in living cells was carried out by bubbling the cell suspension of a . ferrooxidans with co gas for 10 min in the electrochemical reactor ( shibanuma et al . , 2011 ) . for the photocurrent measurements , a 1000 - w xe lamp ( ushio ) equipped with a monochromator with a band width of 10 nm was used as an excitation source to irradiate light from the bottom of the electrochemical cell . for the inhibitor experiment of a bc1 complex , 1 v / v % antimycin a solubilized in methanol was added in the electrochemical reactor . the final concentration of antimycin a was 100 μm .
scheme 1 . bifurcated electron and proton transfer model of fe ( ii ) oxidation in acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans ( sugio et al . , 1981 ; ingledew , 1982 ; elbehti et al . , 1999 , 2000 ; brasseur et al . , 2004 ; valdés et al . , 2008 ; quatrini et al . , 2009 ; bird et al . , 2011 ) . a small periplasmic blue copper protein ( rusticyanin , rus ) has been proposed as a branch point to switch an electron flow between nad + and o 2 . proton circuit for a down - hill and an up - hill electron - transfer reaction is indicated by blue and red dotted line , respectively . electron and energy delivery to the cells for carbon fixation is based on the diffusion and / or convection of soluble fe 2 + ions .
figure 1a shows current vs . time curves for a . ferrooxidans cultivated in the absence of fe 2 + ions . in the present system , a conducting glass electrode ( fto ) poised at + 0 . 4 v ( vs . she ) acts as a sole source of electrons , and dissolved o 2 and co 2 are an electron acceptor and a carbon source , respectively . in the absence of bacteria , we detected no electrical current generation ( broken line , figure 1a ) . on the other hand , in the reactors containing cells , the cathodic current gradually increased to approximately 7 μa after 20 h of cultivation ( solid line , figure 1a ) . the marked difference in current density depending on the presence of cells indicates that the cathodic current was derived from the metabolic activity of cells . furthermore , in - situ sterilization of cells with the deep - uv ( 254 nm ) irradiation immediately suppressed the cathodic current generation ( figure 1b ) . almost no electrical response was observed after 6 h of sterilization , confirming the strong coupling of metabolic activity to electrical current generation .
figure 1 . ( a ) current vs . time measurements for microbial current generation by acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans cells on an fluorine - doped tin oxide ( fto ) electrode in the absence of fe 2 + ions ( solid line ) at + 0 . 4 v ( vs . she ) . current vs . time measurements without cells at + 0 . 4 v was also depicted as a reference ( broken line ) ( b ) effects of the deep - uv ( 254 nm ) irradiation to the microbial current generation by the cells in the absence of fe 2 + ions at + 0 . 4 v ( solid line ) . current vs . time measurements without cells at + 0 . 4 v was also depicted as a reference ( broken line ) . ( c ) in - situ optical microscope observation of an fto electrode surface at the indicated time ( panel a ) after cell inoculation . ( d ) plot of microbial current against cell number attached on an electrode surface obtained from in - situ optical microscope observation ( panels a and b ) . the squares of the correlation coefficients were estimated by the addition of the point of origin to the obtained data . the geometric area of the fto electrode was 3 . 14 cm 2 . initial od 500 was 0 . 02 .
figure 2 . linear sweep ( ls ) voltammograms for a . ferrooxidans cultivated in the presence ( broken line ) and absence ( solid line ) of fe 2 + ions ( 66 mm ) . a scan rate was 0 . 1 mv s - 1 . initial od 500 was 0 . 02 .
figure 3a shows time courses of microbial current at an electrode potential of + 0 . 4 v under co atmospheres . upon the treatment of the cells with co , the microbial current decreased , suggesting that the formation of co - ligated heme in living cells inhibited the extracellular electron - transfer reactions of a . ferrooxidans . the drop in the microbial current caused by co was recovered upon visible - light irradiation ; in contrast , visible - light irradiation induced little change in the current generation under n 2 atmospheres ( figure 3b ) .
figure 3 . ( a ) time courses of microbial current generation in the absence of fe 2 + ions under co atmospheres . white and black bars indicate the period for light irradiation and dark conditions , respectively . an electrode potential was + 0 . 4 v ( vs . she ) . ( b ) time courses of microbial current at an electrode potential of + 0 . 4 v under air and co atmospheres . ( c ) diffuse transmission uv - vis spectrum of whole cells of a . ferrooxidans suspended in a dsmz medium containing na 2 s 2 o 4 as a reductant under co atmospheres . ( d ) an action spectrum of the microbial current recovered by visible - light irradiation under a co atmosphere . initial od 500 was 0 . 02 .
figure 4 . effects adding a bc1 complex inhibitor , antimycin a , on microbial current generation for a . ferrooxidans cultivated in the absence of fe 2 + ions at an electrode potential of + 0 . 4 v ( vs . she ) . antimycin a solubilized in methanol ( final concentration of antimycin a is 100 μm ) was added into electrochemical reactors at the time points indicated with an arrow ( solid line ) . methanol lacking antimycin a was also added into electrochemical reactors as a control experiment ( broken line ) . initial od 500 was 0 . 02 .
in a . ferrooxidans , the pmf - dependent up - hill electron transfer is a physiologically important phenomenon , since carbon dioxide fixation via the calvin cycle is coupled to this process . figure 5 shows the time course of optical cell density at 500 nm ( od 500 ) obtained for a . ferrooxidans cells inoculated in an fe 2 + - ion - free electrochemical reactor for 8 days . under the condition that the electrode potential was poised at + 0 . 4 v , od 500 increased with incubation time . in contrast , when the cell was incubated under the same condition with the exception that no external potential was applied to the fto electrode ( open circuit condition ) , no growth of the cells was observed . here , we should emphasize that under the open circuit condition , the electron flow from the fto electrode to the cells was fully ceased and thus the electrode no longer functioned as an electron source for microbial growth . therefore , the clear potential dependency of the cell growth indicates that the cathodic current was being used not only for pmf generation , but also for carbon dioxide fixation and cellular maintenance via an endergonic electron - transfer reaction .
figure 5 . changes in the optical cell density at 500 nm of a . ferrooxidans inoculated in an fe 2 + - ion free electrochemical rector under the potential static condition at + 0 . 4 v vs . she ( open triangle ) and the open circuit condition ( open square ) . error bars indicate the standard error of the means calculated with data obtained from three individual experiments for the potential static condition and two individual experiments for the open circuit condition , respectively .
scheme 2 . energy diagram for pmf - dependent electrolithoautotrophic carbon fixation in a . ferrooxidans . a . ferrooxidans cell extracts electrons directly from solid electron sources such as conductive minerals and electrodes at a potential of + 0 . 82 v vs . she . electrons are used for o 2 reduction via a down - hill pathway , which in turn generates pmf that is used to elevate the energy of electrons to reduce nad + to nadh , therefore triggering calvin cycle . from the energy difference between the input electron and the midpoint potential of nad + / nadh redox at cytoplasmic ph , it is estimated that a . ferrooxidans elevates the energy of electrons using pmf by 1 . 14 ev .
the authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest .
the authors thank drs . k . takai , m . yamamoto , and h . makita of the japan agency for marine - earth science and technology ( jamstec ) for discussions about microbiological and biogeochemical aspects of deep - sea hydrothermal ecosystems , and ms . t . minami of riken for the careful reading of the manuscript . this work was financially supported by a grant - in - aid for specially promoted research from the japan society for promotion of science ( jsps ) kakenhi grant number 24000010 , and by a grant - in - aid for challenging exploratory research on priority areas from the ministry of education , culture , sports , science , technology ( mext ) , japan ( 24655167 ) and the canon foundation .
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fixation by fe ( ii ) - oxidizing bacteria coupled with direct uptake of electrons from solid electron sources .
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kazuhito hashimoto , department of applied chemistry , school of engineering , the university of tokyo , 7 - 3 - 1 hongo , bunkyo - ku , tokyo 113 - 8656 , japan , hashimoto @ urltoken ; ryuhei nakamura , biofunctional catalyst research team , riken center for sustainable resource science , 2 - 1 hirosawa , wako , saitama 351 - 0198 , japan , ryuhei . nakamura @ urltoken
i am a scientist - turned writer and editor , who loves to read and write ( more than doing experiments ) . i have a phd in biochemistry and molecular biology , with a specialization in structural biology . my interests range widely , from life sciences to pop culture and arts to music . i am bilingual in english and japanese .
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i am a physical chemist and the electron is the key word for my field . i am trying to understand the trials of nature in the course of becoming accustomed to different environments from the view point of “electron flow
( fig . 1 ) . this history of geological and biological electron flow is a great textbook , a blueprint for us to predict the future . we can learn a lot from the evolution , and it takes the field of biology and geology together . i think overall understanding of nature’s evolution is needed , rather than trying to understand each specific step in detail , and such a comprehensive approach will provide the new guiding principle for us to design the catalysts and develop the technology for energy and environmental conservation in human society .
fig . 1 electron flow & evolution of life our target is to find the role of electrical current for emergence and evolution of life ; how nature has utilized the electrical current from billion years ago , and its relevance in our modem technology , such as fuel cell , battery , voltage amplifier , and thermoelectric conversion . knowing the evolution of this in nature would be a nice guidance to realize sustainable human ecosystems . © r . nakamura
i joined the center in april 2013 , as one of the new principal investigators at csrs from outside of riken . the topic of sustainability was the attraction for me . here in my lab , we have about 10 people in our team . with the members who have the diverse backgrounds from physical chemistry to microbiology , i am trying to combine those areas to understand the fundamental mechanisms of nature to organize the robust and efficient energy cycle . i am sure its sustainability is relevant to modern technologies in human society .
riken is a very special place , with so many outstanding scientists . there is a great freedom of what to research and we can focus basic subjects and cultivate frontier science . in our center , distinguished researchers of plant science , chemical biology , biomass , and chemistry work together . especially for young scientists , collaborating between the different fields and heavyweight experienced researchers is a very great incentive , since it helps them a lot to come up with the brand - new ideas , and they can even make their own field . also for me this collaboration is quite attractive , and has encouraged me a lot to establish my own vision .
we work on the development of biologically inspired catalysts and their application for energy harvesting and environmental conservation systems . specifically , we attempt to exploit the nature’s ingenuities of multi - electron catalytic reaction , electron / proton transport , metabolic regulation , flexible response to external stimuli , and the robust energy management in a deep sea environment to develop the novel materials and systems necessary for the effective management of renewable energy sources . there are three areas for our research :
fig . 2 chimney : giant electrochemical fuel cell sustained by magmatic activity ? the chemical potential and temperature gradient across the chimney generates electrical current , which trigger abiotic co 2 reduction and may sustain the ecosystems of the chimney .
in 2010 we published the first paper about electricity generation in the deep sea hydrothermal vent ( ref . 1 ) . we were the first to propose and demonstrate that a black smoker chimney acts as an electrochemical fuel cell that can convert the energy stored in the earth’s interior to electricity ( fig . 2 ) .
our research has also inspired another field of the origin of life ( ref . 2 ) . this field has a quite long history , and the difficult point of this field is that we always have to investigate about the past events occurred billions of years ago . so , in order to get to the conclusive point of view , a broad range of understanding in physical chemistry , biology , and geology are required to understand the framework .
but always the problem has been that for some ( sub ) surface regions in the deep sea there is no recognizable energy input . there is no sunlight . there is no energy to sustain the bacterial activity we see . so people are looking for what is the energy source to sustain such an abundant biomass in the sub sea floor . so i am quite sure that this source has become the electron . now in the field of earth science people started to recognize electro - microbiology , and the electrochemical fuel cell in the deep ocean as a kind of power and engine to maintain the microbial activity .
we think that this energy creation found in the deep sea electro - ecosystem could have been one of the sources to kick - off the origin of life . the gradient of redox and temperature around a chimney creates electrical energy , which could kick off chemical evolution . this type of electrical energy might be the third type of ecosystem , in addition to chemosynthesis and photosynthesis , to drive microbial life ( fig . 3 / ref . 4 ) .
fig . 3 ecosystems sustained by geo - electricity decoupling of electron and heat transfer can generate the high energy electron that has almost the same electrochemical potential generatedby photosynthesis .
i want to know how nature got accustomed to the different environments , and how organisms in nature overcame such quite difficult situations by changing their metabolism or changing their genome . for example , it is as if chimney minerals have such an advanced knowledge of physics : they can convert chemical energy to electricity , and electricity to chemical energy . such an amazing function can be a key to generate high energy electrons , for triggering co 2 fixation , and nitrogen fixation in the ancient deep sea .
we also found another amazing aspect of chimney minerals : by analyzing the samples of minerals from the deep sea and investigating the function of them with dr . takao mori of national institute for materials science , we found that they transfer electrons efficiently , but not heat energy ( ref . 3 ) . it represents a newly recognized system for energy - harvesting in nature , based on the decoupling of electron transfer and heat transfer . no one would imagine this ! i would say that at the hydrothermal vent the difference of chemical potential and temperature is converted to electrical current , and if proton motive force exists , a hydrothermal vent can generate reductive energy almost identical with that of photo - excited photosynthesis ii . this is a new scenario to bridge deep - sea ecosystem and photosynthesis in terms of energetics for carbon fixation , and recently published in a book chapter ( ref . 4 ) . this is one of our original discoveries and can be a basis for examining the relationship between modern technology and ancient one in respect to heat and electrical use .
the next challenge for us is to test our hypothesis on the newly understood type of bacteria called “electrotrophs” in which co 2 fixation is triggered by electrons taken from minerals or electrodes .
scientists in the usa ( prof . kenneth nealson and prof . derek lovely ) noticed that certain bacteria transferred electron from some minerals like iron oxide or manganese oxide , as a process for their respiration . those findings were the starting point of the new field of electro - microbiology . usually we need oxygen for respiration , and mitochondria plays a role . but even without oxygen some bacteria eat minerals to maintain their atp synthesis . some portion of bacteria , archaea and animals depend on this kind of energy metabolism .
the current goal of our research is to prove the concept of such “electro - ecosystems” both by lab experiments and on - site deep - sea experiments ( fig . 4 /
) . people will recognize the importance of this field soon . electron life might be a nice running title - the field of electron life .
nakamura , r . , takashima , t . , kato , s . , takai , k . , yamamoto , m . , hashimoto , k . electrical current generation across a black smoker chimney . angew . chem . int . ed . 49 , 7692 - 7694 ( 2010 ) * selected to hot topics in sustainable chemistry doi : 10 . 1002 / anie . 201003311
yamaguchi , a . , yamamoto , m . , takai , k . , ishii , t . , hashimoto , k . , nakamura , r . electrochemical co 2 reduction by ni - containing iron sulfides : how is co 2 electrochemically reduced at bisulfide - bearing deep - sea hydrothermal precipitates ? electrochemica acta 141 , 311 - 318 ( 2014 ) doi : 10 . 1016 / j . electacta . 2014 . 07 . 078
ang , r . , khan , a . , tsujii , n . , takai , k . , nakamura , r . , mori , t . thermoelectricity generation and electron - magnon scattering in a natural chalcopyrite mineral from a deep - sea hydrothermal vent . angew . chem . 54 , 12909 - 12913 ( 2015 ) doi : 10 . 1002 / anie . 201505517
yamaguchi , a . , li , y . , takashima , t . , hashimoto , k . , nakamura , r . co 2 reduction using an electrochemical approach from chemical , biological , and geological aspects in the ancient and modern earth . solar to chemical energy conversion , 32 , 213 - 228 ( 2016 )
ishii , t . , kawaichi , s . , nakagawa , h . , hashimoto , k . , nakamura , r . from chemolithoautotrophs to electrolithoautotrophs : co 2 fixation by fe ( ii ) - oxidizing bacteria coupled with direct uptake of electrons from solid electron sources . front . microbiol . , 6 , 994 ( 2015 ) doi : 10 . 3389 / fmicb . 2015 . 00994
riken news : a bacteria ' s double life : living off both iron and electricity ( dec . 2015 )
at deep - sea vent systems , hydrothermal emissions rich in reductive chemicals replace solar energy as fuels to support microbial carbon assimilation . until recently , all the microbial components at vent systems have been assumed to be fostered by the primary production of chemolithoautotrophs ; however , both the laboratory and on - site studies demonstrated…
first evidence for existence of an uphill electron transfer through the bc ( 1 ) and nadh - q oxidoreductase complexes of the acidophilic obligate chemolithotrophic ferrous ion - oxidizing bacterium thiobacillus ferrooxidans .
redox components of cytochrome bc - type enzymes in acidophilic prokaryotes . i . characterization of the cytochrome bc1 - type complex of the acidophilic ferrous ion - oxidizing bacterium thiobacillus ferrooxidans .
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