A newly-discovered species of bacteria has been found on the Oregon Coast. And scientists have named it for the Native Americans who historically lived in the area.
The bacteria, which conducts electricity, was found in a mud flat in the Yaquina Bay estuary. Its conductivity helps optimize its metabolic processes in the muck.
Researchers have dubbed it Ca.Electrothrix yaqonensis. That’s in honor of the Yaqona tribal people, whose descendants are now part of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, who helped come up with the name.
Cheng Li, who was a postdoctoral researcher at Oregon State University during the research, said it’s important to honor the original inhabitants of the land where this unique cable bacteria was found.
“That history, it’s really rich, and should be preserved, telling people what happened,” Li told KLCC. “(It’s) especially more important nowadays, because we’re facing some unforeseen drawbacks on diversity, equity, and inclusiveness.”
Cable bacteria can live under diverse climatic conditions and are found in various environments, including both freshwater and saltwater sediments.
In these images provided by OSU, (left): a filament of the electricity-conductive bacteria; and (right) a rug of biomass.
Courtesy of Oregon State University
Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis draws its name from the Yaqona people, whose ancestral lands encompassed Yaquina Bay.
Clare Reimers, distinguished professor emerita in the OSU College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, identified the new bacteria species in intertidal sediment samples from the Yaquina Bay estuary.
An OSU news release explains that cable bacteria are comprised of rod-shaped cells that are attached end to end with a shared outer membrane, forming filaments that can reach several centimeters in length.
“Their electrical conductivity, unusual among bacteria, is an adaptation that optimizes their metabolic processes in the sediment environments in which they live,” adds the release.
The new species features metabolic pathways and genes that are a mix of the Ca. Electrothrix genus and the other known cable bacteria genus, Ca. Electronema.
“This new species seems to be a bridge, an early branch within the Ca. Electrothrix clade, which suggests it could provide new insights into how these bacteria evolved and how they might function in different environments,” Li said. He’ll return to OSU in June as an assistant professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences’ Biological & Ecological Engineering Department after a stint on the faculty of James Madison University.
“It stands out from all other described cable bacteria species in terms of its metabolic potential, and it has distinctive structural features, including pronounced surface ridges, up to three times wider than those seen in other species, that house highly conductive fibers made of unique, nickel-based molecules,” said Li.
Those fibers allow the bacteria to do long-distance electron transport, connecting electron acceptors like oxygen or nitrate at the sediment surface with donors like sulfide in deeper sediment layers. The bacteria’s ability to participate in reduction-oxidation reactions over significant distances gives it a key role in sediment geochemistry and nutrient cycling.
“These bacteria can transfer electrons to clean up pollutants, so they could be used to remove harmful substances from sediments,” Li said. “Also, their design of a highly conductive nickel protein can possibly inspire new bioelectronics.”
Scientists from the University of Antwerp, Delft University of Technology and the University of Vienna also participated in the research. The Office of Naval Research, Oregon Sea Grant, Research Foundation Flanders, the University of Antwerp, the EU Marie Sklodowska-Curie Cofund and the European Innovation Council supported the team’s activities.
Their findings have just been published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
Copyright 2025, KLCC.
Brian Bull is a reporter with KLCC. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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