Evidence for a Microbially Mediated Biogeochemical Cycle of Gold – a Literature Review

INTERACTIONS OF BIOTA WITH GOLD – AN INTRODUCTION Gold is widely distributed in the biosphere. Various organisms have displayed the ability to accumulate gold (Korobushkina et al. 1983). Sea urchins, sea stars and crabs have been shown to accumulate gold (Korobushkina et al. 1983). Some land plants have been shown to accumulate gold, such as the thiocyanate containing carrot family (Umbelliferae) (Mossman et al. 1999) and the monocotyledon Typha (Boyle 1979); in the marsh horsetail (equisetum pallustre) from Oslany in the Czech Republic up to 610 ppm of gold were detected (soil background was measured at 0.2 ppm) (Babicka 1943); in samples of the bluebush (Maireana) elevated gold concentrations were detected and its use as an indicator for underlying deposits in geochemical exploration in Australia has been proposed (Lintern et al. 1997); Eucalyptus spp. bark samples from the Ballart gold field in Victoria, Australia, contained up to 150 ppb of gold (Arne et al. 1999); several fungal species from the genus Penicillium were also shown to accumulate gold (Boyle 1979).