Abundance and diversity of microbial life in ocean crust

Cara M. Santelli, Beth N. Orcutt, Erin Banning, Wolfgang Bach, Craig L. Moyer, Mitchell L. Sogin, Hubert Staudigel and Katrina J. Edwards ()
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Cara M. Santelli: MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography and Ocean Engineering and,
Beth N. Orcutt: Geomicrobiology Group, Marine Environmental Biology, University of Southern California, 3616 Trousdale Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90089-0371, USA
Erin Banning: MIT/WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography and Ocean Engineering and,
Wolfgang Bach: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
Craig L. Moyer: Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington 98225, USA
Mitchell L. Sogin: Josephine Bay Paul Center, Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
Hubert Staudigel: Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
Katrina J. Edwards: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA

Nature, 2008, vol. 453, issue 7195, 653-656

Abstract: Microbial diversity: Life under the ocean waves The oceans are rich in life, from the plankton-filled surface waters to the bottom feeders on sea floor. And even below that it seems. In recent years, several lines of evidence have suggested that microbial life may be abundant in and on basaltic ocean crust; and in theory basaltic alteration reactions could provide sufficient energy for chemolithoautotrophic growth. Now a survey of seafloor ocean crust from two sites reveals an unexpected microbial abundance and diversity. Microbial life in this bare-rock substrate is dominated by bacteria. Surprisingly, the bacterial diversity of the ocean crust is comparable to that of terrestrial soil.

Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1038/nature06899

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