Javier Cuadros

Bio: Javier Cuadros is an academic researcher from American Museum of Natural History. The author has contributed to research in topics: Clay minerals & Kaolinite. The author has an hindex of 31, co-authored 100 publications receiving 2584 citations. Previous affiliations of Javier Cuadros include Spanish National Research Council & Natural History Museum.

Groundwater activity on Mars and implications for a deep biosphere

Abstract: The subsurface of Mars could potentially have contained a vast microbial biosphere. An evaluation of the possibility of groundwater upwelling, which might provide clues to subsurface habitability, reveals evidence in the deep McLaughlin crater for clays and carbonates that probably formed in an alkaline, groundwater-fed lacustrine setting.

Clay minerals interaction with microorganisms: a review

Abstract: Interest in mineral–microbe interaction has grown enormously over recent decades, providing information in a puzzle-like manner which points towards an ever increasingly intimate relationship between the two; a relationship that can be truly termed co-evolution. Clay minerals play a very central role in this co-evolving system. Some 20 years ago, clay scientists looked at clay mineral–microbe studies as a peripheral interest only. Now, can clay scientists think that they understand the formation of clay minerals throughout geological history if they do not include life in their models? The answer is probably no, but we do not yet know the relative weight of biological and inorganic factors involved in driving clay-mineral formation and transformation. Similarly, microbiologists are missing out important information if they do not investigate the influence and modifications that minerals, particularly clay minerals, have on microbial activity and evolution. This review attempts to describe the several points relating clay minerals and microorganisms that have been discovered so far. The information obtained is still very incomplete and many opportunities exist for clay scientists to help to write the real history of the biosphere.

Water on Mars

Abstract: Estimates of the amount of water outgassed from Mars, based on the composition of the atmosphere, range from 6 to 160 m, as compared with 3 km for the Earth. In contrast, large flood features, valley networks, and several indicators of ground ice suggest that at least 500 m of water have outgassed. The two sets of estimates may be reconciled if early in its history, Mars lost part of its atmosphere by impact erosion and hydrodynamic escape.

Chapter One – Mineral–Organic Associations: Formation, Properties, and Relevance in Soil Environments

Abstract: Minerals and organic matter (OM) may form intricate associations via myriad interactions. In soils, the associations of OM with mineral surfaces are mainly investigated because of their role in determining the long-term retention of OM. OM “must decay in order to release the energy and nutrients that drive live processes all over the planet” ( Janzen, 2006 ). Thus, the processes and mechanisms that retain OM in soil are a central concern to very different branches of environmental research. An agronomist may want to synchronize periods of high nutrient and energy release with the growth stages of a crop. An environmental chemist may wish to either immobilize an organic soil contaminant or enhance its decomposition into less harmful metabolites, while climate scientists need to understand the processes that mediate the production of potent greenhouse gases from decomposing OM. Associations of OM with pedogenic minerals (henceforth termed mineral–organic associations (MOAs)) are known to be key controls in these and many other processes. Here we strive to present an overview of the current knowledge on MOAs and identify key questions and future research needs.

Ichnology: Organism-Substrate Interactions in Space and Time

Abstract: Ichnology is the study of traces created in the substrate by living organisms. This is the first book to systematically cover basic concepts and applications in both paleobiology and sedimentology, bridging the gap between the two main facets of the field. It emphasizes the importance of understanding ecologic controls on benthic fauna distribution and the role of burrowing organisms in changing their environments. A detailed analysis of the ichnology of a range of depositional environments is presented using examples from the Precambrian to the recent, and the use of trace fossils in facies analysis and sequence stratigraphy is discussed. The potential for biogenic structures to provide valuable information and solve problems in a wide range of fields is also highlighted. An invaluable resource for researchers and graduate students in paleontology, sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy, this book will also be of interest to industry professionals working in petroleum geoscience.

Structure and Mineralogy of Clay Minerals

Abstract: Phyllosilicates, and among them clay minerals, are of great interest not only for the scientific community but also for their potential applications in many novel and advanced areas. However, the correct application of these minerals requires a thorough knowledge of their crystal chemical properties. This chapter provides crystal chemical and structural details related to phyllosilicates and describes the fundamental features leading to their different behaviour in different natural or technical processes, as also detailed in other chapters of this book. Phyllosilicates, described in this chapter, are minerals of the (i) kaolin-serpentine group (e.g. kaolinite, dickite, nacrite, halloysite, hisingerite, lizardite, antigorite, chrysotile, amesite, carlosturanite, greenalite); (ii) talc and pyrophyllite group (e.g. pyrophyllite, ferripyrophyllite); (iii) mica group, with particular focus to illite; (iv) smectite group (e.g. montmorillonite, beidellite, nontronite, saponite, hectorite, sauconite); (v) vermiculite group; (vi) chlorite group; (vii) some 2:1 layer silicates involving a discontinuous octahedral sheet and a modulated tetrahedral sheet such as kalifersite, palygorskite and sepiolite; (viii) allophane and imogolite and (ix) mixed layer structures with particular focus on illite-smectite.

Abiotic stress responses and microbe-mediated mitigation in plants: The omics strategies

Abstract: Abiotic stresses are the foremost limiting factors for agricultural productivity. Crop plants need to cope up adverse external pressure created by environmental and edaphic conditions with their intrinsic biological mechanisms, failing which their growth, development, and productivity suffer. Microorganisms, the most natural inhabitants of diverse environments exhibit enormous metabolic capabilities to mitigate abiotic stresses. Since microbial interactions with plants are an integral part of the living ecosystem, they are believed to be the natural partners that modulate local and systemic mechanisms in plants to offer defence under adverse external conditions. Plant-microbe interactions comprise complex mechanisms within the plant cellular system. Biochemical, molecular and physiological studies are paving the way in understanding the complex but integrated cellular processes. Under the continuous pressure of increasing climatic alterations, it now becomes more imperative to define and interpret plant-microbe relationships in terms of protection against abiotic stresses. At the same time, it also becomes essential to generate deeper insights into the stress-mitigating mechanisms in crop plants for their translation in higher productivity. Multi-omics approaches comprising genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and phenomics integrate studies on the interaction of plants with microbes and their external environment and generate multi-layered information that can answer what is happening in real-time within the cells. Integration, analysis and decipherization of the big-data can lead to a massive outcome that has significant chance for implementation in the fields. This review summarizes abiotic stresses responses in plants in-terms of biochemical and molecular mechanisms followed by the microbe-mediated stress mitigation phenomenon. We describe the role of multi-omics approaches in generating multi-pronged information to provide a better understanding of plant-microbe interactions that modulate cellular mechanisms in plants under extreme external conditions and help to optimize abiotic stresses. Vigilant amalgamation of these high-throughput approaches supports a higher level of knowledge generation about root-level mechanisms involved in the alleviation of abiotic stresses in organisms.