冻土微生物研究进展与意义

Progress and Significance of Studies on Microorganismsin Permafrost Sediments

冻土由于其独特的地理与气候特征,蕴藏着大量具有生物活性的各种形态和生态群的微生物,并且已存活了几千年甚至几百万年,它们具有独特的遗传学特征和适应环境的生理生化机制.开展冻土微生物的研究将为微生物多样性的保护和利用、对古气候的重建、生物基因的进化、宇宙生物学的研究、全球环境变化、甚至生命起源的研究开辟新的途径.简述了冻土微生物研究的进展,并探讨了冻土微生物研究的重要意义.

Numerous and various ecological and morphological groups of viable microorganisms were found in permafrost sediments,and existed for several thousand even several millions of years. They could be used in palaeoenvironmental reconstructions.The studies on microbes in permafrost will make a new way to understanding the diversity, evolution of microbes , research of exobiology, global change of environment and even origin of life.