Abundance and diversity of microbial life in ocean crust

kavin submitted, created time 7 months 1 week (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Here, using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, in situ hybridization and microscopy, the authors demonstrate that prokaryotic cell abundances on seafloor-exposed basalts are 3-4 orders of magnitude greater than in overlying deep sea water. They hypothesize that alteration reactions fuel chemolithoautotrophic microorganisms, which constitute a trophic base of the basalt habitat, with important implications for deep-sea carbon cycling and chemical exchange between basalt and sea water.

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