A comparative ToF-SIMS and GC-MS analysis of phototrophic communities collected from an alkaline silica-depositing hot spring

The results showed that important lipids and pigments originating from phototrophs were detected by ToF-SIMS (e.g., wax esters, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol, digalactosyldiacylglycerol, sufloquinovosyldiaglycerol, alkanes, etc.) in the streamer lipid extracts. Many of the lipids were also detected in situ in the unsilicified streamer, and could even be spatially resolved to individual cells within the streamer community. Together with the ToF-SIMS database, this mapping ability will be used to further explore other microbial mats and their fossilized counterparts in the geological record. This is likely to expand the geochemical understanding of these types of samples.