Distributions of microbial activities in deep subseafloor sediments.
Diverse microbial communities and numerous energy-yielding activities occur in deeply buried sediments of the eastern Pacific Ocean. Distributions of metabolic activities often deviate from the standard model. Rates of activities, cell concentrations, and populations of cultured bacteria vary consistently from one subseafloor environment to another. Net rates of major activities principally rely on electron acceptors and electron donors from the photosynthetic surface world. At open-ocean sites, nitrate and oxygen are supplied to the deepest sedimentary communities through the underlying basaltic aquifer. In turn, these sedimentary communities may supply dissolved electron donors and nutrients to the underlying crustal biosphere.
D'Hondt
Steven
S
Ocean Drilling Program Leg 201 Shipboard Scientific Party, NASA Astrobiology Institute, University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI 02882, USA. dhondt@gso.uri.edu
Jørgensen
Bo Barker
BB
Miller
D Jay
DJ
Batzke
Anja
A
Blake
Ruth
R
Cragg
Barry A
BA
Cypionka
Heribert
H
Dickens
Gerald R
GR
Ferdelman
Timothy
T
Hinrichs
Kai-Uwe
KU
Holm
Nils G
NG
Mitterer
Richard
R
Spivack
Arthur
A
Wang
Guizhi
G
Bekins
Barbara
B
Engelen
Bert
B
Ford
Kathryn
K
Gettemy
Glen
G
Rutherford
Scott D
SD
Sass
Henrik
H
Skilbeck
C Gregory
CG
Aiello
Ivano W
IW
Guèrin
Gilles
G
House
Christopher H
CH
Inagaki
Fumio
F
Meister
Patrick
P
Naehr
Thomas
T
Niitsuma
Sachiko
S
Parkes
R John
RJ
Schippers
Axel
A
Smith
David C
DC
Teske
Andreas
A
Wiegel
Juergen
J
Padilla
Christian Naranjo
CN
Acosta
Juana Luz Solis
JL
D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D017753:Ecosystem; D004579:Electron Transport; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000382:microbiology*; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D008345:Manganese / Q000378:metabolism; D008697:Methane / Q000378:metabolism; D009566:Nitrates / Q000378:metabolism; D016877:Oxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D010568:Peru; D010788:Photosynthesis; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D013431:Sulfates / Q000378:metabolism; D013816:Thermodynamics
D009566:Nitrates; D016877:Oxidants; D013431:Sulfates; D008345:Manganese; D002244:Carbon; D007501:Iron; D008697:Methane