BIOGEOCHEMISTRY
LABORATORY
University of Toronto 

 

News

 September 15th, 2020

A publication based on the study of phosphorus cycling at the sediment-water interface in the Lake of the Woods by a postdoctoral fellows in our group, Dr. M.S. Alam, Dr. J. Li and master student B. Barthod “Geochemical controls on internal phosphorus loading in Lake of the Woods” is available now online in Chemical Geology.

 
 
June 18-23, 2020
Adina Paytan and Maria Dittrich are hosting the Theme15c “Diversity and Inclusion in the Geosciences” at the Goldschmidt 2020
 
June 24, 2020
Zach Diloreto and Maria Dittrich are giving the talks at the Goldschmidt and are the co-authors at the third presentation

  Dittrich, M, DiLoreto, Z. A., Bontognali,T.R. R, Liu, H., Lu, X. (2020). Variances in proto-dolomite formation by exopolymers from oxygenic, and anoxygenic microbial mats and clays.

 DiLoreto, Z. A., Dittrich, M, Bontognali,T.R. R 2020, Signaficance of Oxygenic and Anoxygenic Photosynthesizers for Dolomite Formation in Modern hypersaline Environments.

Tatzel M, Paytan A, *DiLoreto Z, Dittrich M, Bontognali TRR. Sánchez-Román M, (2020). Magnesium and strontium stable isotopes fractionation during microbial dolomite formation. June 18-23, Honolulu, Hawai USA, Goldschmidt Conference.

May 26th 2020
Maria Dittrich is a co-author at the strategic paper “Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: Rapid degradation of the world’s large lakes”. in the Great Lakes Research Journal
 
 
 
May 2020
Our presentations at the EGU 2020
Zach Diloreto and Maria Dittrich gave the talks at the EGU 2020, virtually:)
See the presentation by Diloreto et al. “Linking decay of microbial mats and dolomite formation in the sabkhas of Qatar” at the session BG5.3 Extreme environments, mud volcanoes and hydrothermal systems on Earth and planetary analogues: biology, stratigraphy, structure, evolution and monitoring of active and fossils settings, follow the link
 
The audio presentation by M. Dittrich  et al. “Recycling of Polyphosphate accumulated in picoplankton in coastal Lake Ontario” is at the session  BG1.7  Sustainable phosphorus management and recovery: linking phosphorus and other element/material cycles, follow the link https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2020/session/35258
 
April 2020
The paper by S. Markovic, A. Richards and M. Dittrich “Speciation and bioavailability of particulate phosphorus in forested karst watersheds of Southern Ontario during extreme rain events” has been accepted for Journal of Great Lakes Research.
 
January 2020
A new project funded by the Qatar Foundation
 Our proposal in cooperation with Qatar University and Nanjing University on “Understanding carbon mineralization in sabkhas: microbial mats, minerals and carbon sequestration” was successful and will be funded by Qatar Foundation for next three years.
We are looking for a motivated PhD student. 
Apply by sending your CV and a motivation letter as one PDF-file to mdittrich@utsc.utoronto.ca 
 
January 2020
New publication on impact of temperature and extracellular polysaccharides from hypersaline mats on crystal size of dolomite formation 
A new paper by a PhD student Carlos Paulo from our group and collaborators at UofT and ETH Zurich assess proto-dolomite formation by EPS extracted from the phototrophic microbial mat. Both the temperature and the presence of EPS impact the size and morphology of minerals, promoting spherulitic and dumbbell growth in sulfate free solutions. The formation of proto-dolomite was enhanced by the abundance of carboxylated molecules in EPS which controlled the polymorphism of carbonates. Paulo etal 2020, Organomineralization of proto-dolomite in sabkhas by Geitlerinema sp cyanobacterial extracellular polymeric substances: temperature control of crystal size and its implication for geological record, 2019, American Journal of Science, 320, 72–95 
 
Akos T. Kovacs @EvolvedBiofilm

Multiple stressors determine community structure and estimated function of river biofilm bacteria
-in @AppEnvMicro https://aem.asm.org/content/early/2020/03/30/AEM.00291-20 …

The Carbonate Forum @CarbonateForum

We are delighted that the @CarbonateForum will be held online on 12th – 13th May. If you submitted an abstract you should have received an email update. We are currently finalising plans and will provide registration details soon. Watch this space! @sedimentology

Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings @lindaunobel

660 young scientists from about 100 countries experience their first Lindau Moment today: They are invited to the 70th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. Congratulations! They will meet around 70 Nobel Laureates at http://ow.ly/xK7P50yA5Qh

pACYC184 @pacyc1841

 Picoplankton accumulate and recycle polyphosphate to support high primary productivity in coastal Lake Ontario | Scientific Reports https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-56042-5 …

Lukas VF Novak @animalculum

Biomineralization and Successive Regeneration of Engineered Living Building Materials: Biomineralized Hydrogel-Sand Scaffolds https://www.cell.com/matter/fulltext/S2590-2385(19)30391-1 … by Chelsea Heveran et al.

View image on Twitter
 
 paperA publication based on the study of phosphorus cycling at the sediment-water interface in the Lake of the Woods by a postdoctoral fellows in our group, Dr. M.S. Alam, Dr. J. Li and master student B. Barthod “Geochemical controls on internal phosphorus loading in Lake of the Woods” is available now online in Chemical Geology
 

 

News

 September 15th, 2020

A publication based on the study of phosphorus cycling at the sediment-water interface in the Lake of the Woods by a postdoctoral fellows in our group, Dr. M.S. Alam, Dr. J. Li and master student B. Barthod “Geochemical controls on internal phosphorus loading in Lake of the Woods” is available now online in Chemical Geology


 
June 18-23, 2020
Adina Paytan and Maria Dittrich are hosting the Theme15c “Diversity and Inclusion in the Geosciences” at the Goldschmidt 2020
 
June 24, 2020
Zach Diloreto and Maria Dittrich are giving the talks at the Goldschmidt and are the co-authors at the third presentation

  Dittrich, M, DiLoreto, Z. A., Bontognali,T.R. R, Liu, H., Lu, X. (2020). Variances in proto-dolomite formation by exopolymers from oxygenic, and anoxygenic microbial mats and clays.

 DiLoreto, Z. A., Dittrich, M, Bontognali,T.R. R 2020, Signaficance of Oxygenic and Anoxygenic Photosynthesizers for Dolomite Formation in Modern hypersaline Environments.

Tatzel M, Paytan A, *DiLoreto Z, Dittrich M, Bontognali TRR. Sánchez-Román M, (2020). Magnesium and strontium stable isotopes fractionation during microbial dolomite formation. June 18-23, Honolulu, Hawai USA, Goldschmidt Conference.

May 26th 2020
Maria Dittrich is a co-author at the strategic paper “Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: Rapid degradation of the world’s large lakes”. in the Great Lakes Research Journal
 
 
 
May 2020
Our presentations at the EGU 2020
Zach Diloreto and Maria Dittrich gave the talks at the EGU 2020, virtually:)
See the presentation by Diloreto et al. “Linking decay of microbial mats and dolomite formation in the sabkhas of Qatar” at the session BG5.3 Extreme environments, mud volcanoes and hydrothermal systems on Earth and planetary analogues: biology, stratigraphy, structure, evolution and monitoring of active and fossils settings, follow the link
 
The audio presentation by M. Dittrich  et al. “Recycling of Polyphosphate accumulated in picoplankton in coastal Lake Ontario” is at the session  BG1.7  Sustainable phosphorus management and recovery: linking phosphorus and other element/material cycles, follow the link https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2020/session/35258
 
April 2020
The paper by S. Markovic, A. Richards and M. Dittrich “Speciation and bioavailability of particulate phosphorus in forested karst watersheds of Southern Ontario during extreme rain events” has been accepted for Journal of Great Lakes Research.
 
January 2020
A new project funded by the Qatar Foundation
 Our proposal in cooperation with Qatar University and Nanjing University on “Understanding carbon mineralization in sabkhas: microbial mats, minerals and carbon sequestration” was successful and will be funded by Qatar Foundation for next three years.
We are looking for a motivated PhD student. 
Apply by sending your CV and a motivation letter as one PDF-file to mdittrich@utsc.utoronto.ca 
 
January 2020
New publication on impact of temperature and extracellular polysaccharides from hypersaline mats on crystal size of dolomite formation 
A new paper by a PhD student Carlos Paulo from our group and collaborators at UofT and ETH Zurich assess proto-dolomite formation by EPS extracted from the phototrophic microbial mat. Both the temperature and the presence of EPS impact the size and morphology of minerals, promoting spherulitic and dumbbell growth in sulfate free solutions. The formation of proto-dolomite was enhanced by the abundance of carboxylated molecules in EPS which controlled the polymorphism of carbonates. Paulo etal 2020, Organomineralization of proto-dolomite in sabkhas by Geitlerinema sp cyanobacterial extracellular polymeric substances: temperature control of crystal size and its implication for geological record, 2019, American Journal of Science, 320, 72–95 
 
Akos T. Kovacs @EvolvedBiofilm

Multiple stressors determine community structure and estimated function of river biofilm bacteria
-in @AppEnvMicro https://aem.asm.org/content/early/2020/03/30/AEM.00291-20 …

The Carbonate Forum @CarbonateForum

We are delighted that the @CarbonateForum will be held online on 12th – 13th May. If you submitted an abstract you should have received an email update. We are currently finalising plans and will provide registration details soon. Watch this space! @sedimentology

Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings @lindaunobel

660 young scientists from about 100 countries experience their first Lindau Moment today: They are invited to the 70th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. Congratulations! They will meet around 70 Nobel Laureates at http://ow.ly/xK7P50yA5Qh

pACYC184 @pacyc1841

 Picoplankton accumulate and recycle polyphosphate to support high primary productivity in coastal Lake Ontario | Scientific Reports https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-56042-5 …

Lukas VF Novak @animalculum

Biomineralization and Successive Regeneration of Engineered Living Building Materials: Biomineralized Hydrogel-Sand Scaffolds https://www.cell.com/matter/fulltext/S2590-2385(19)30391-1 … by Chelsea Heveran et al.

View image on Twitter
 
 paperA publication based on the study of phosphorus cycling at the sediment-water interface in the Lake of the Woods by a postdoctoral fellows in our group, Dr. M.S. Alam, Dr. J. Li and master student B. Barthod “Geochemical controls on internal phosphorus loading in Lake of the Woods” is available now online in Chemical Geology