海洋面积约占地球总面积的70%,平均深度3,800m,海底平均压力38MPa,海水以下更是包含有物理化学性质迥异的多种地质结构,例如海洋沉积物、洋壳、热液口以及冷泉等。这些性质迥异的地质结构环境造就了丰富的生物多样性,构成了地球上最大的微生物生态系统。深海海水中最主要的微生物类群是α-,γ-变形菌(Alpha-&Gammaproteobacteria),以及海洋古菌群I(Marine Group I)。深海沉积物中微生物含量与有机物含量和距离大陆板块的距离相关,以异养微生物为主。深海冷泉区富集了厌氧甲烷氧化古菌ANME和硫酸盐还原菌(Deltaproteobacteria);深海热液区由于具有化学物质的多样性和快速的动态变化而导致形成微生物的高度多样性。洋壳主要由基性、超基性岩构成,含有丰富的矿物,其中不乏参与铁、锰、硫等关键代谢反应的化能自养微生物。同时,由于环境中99%以上的微生物没有已培养的亲缘种,因此对深海微生物的多样性、生理功能特性以及生物地球化学作用的理解和研究仍然存在巨大的挑战。本文将尝试从不同的深海环境分区来综述深海海水、沉积物、洋壳,以及冷泉区和热液口等特殊生态环境中微生物的分布和多样性。
The term ＂extreme environments＂ describes the conditions that deviate from what mesophilic cells can tolerate. These condi- tions are ＂extreme＂ in the eye of mankind, but they may be suitable or even essential living conditions for most microorgan- isms. Hypertherrnophilic microorganisms form a branch at the root of the phylogenetic tree, indicating that early life originated from extreme environments similar to that of modern deep-sea hydrothermal vents, which are characterized by high-tempera- ture and oxygen-limiting conditions. During the inevitable cooling and gradual oxidation process on Earth, microorganisms developed similar mechanisms of adaptation. By studying modem extremophiles, we may be able to decode the mysterious history of their genomic evolution and to reconstruct e~,rly life. Because life itself is a process of energy uptake to maintain a dissipative structure that is not in thermodynamic equilibrium, the energy metabolism of microorganisms determines the path- way of evolution, the structure of an ecosystem, and the physiology of cells. ＂Following energy＂ is an essential approach to understand the boundaries of life and to search for life beyond Earth.
